American Sugar 101

With a new Congress and a new Administration in town, there are undoubtedly quite a few new newsletter readers who are learning about America’s sugar industry for the first time.  To help with this introduction, the American Sugar Alliance has compiled 25 facts about the industry and its policy.  Of course, www.sugaralliance.org can also serve as a valuable resource.

25 Sugar Facts

1. America’s sugar producers support 146,000 U.S. jobs.
2. Sugar farmers don’t receive government subsidy checks.
3. Wholesale sugar prices are cheaper today than they were in 1980.
4. Sugar producers generate nearly  $10 billion a year for the U.S. economy.
5. Sugar is produced in 18 states.
6. Sugar is used in 70% of manufactured food.
7. Sugar producers' support price has not been increased since 1985.
8. Sugar producers’ fuel costs have skyrocketed by 274% since 1985; labor costs are up 110%; farm equipment costs 75% more.
9. Two-thirds of Americans believe sugar in the U.S. is inexpensive.
10. Food manufacturers pocket lower sugar prices to boost profits instead of sharing the savings with shoppers.
11. Unlike other commodities, wholesale sugar prices didn’t spike in 2008.
12. Sugar policy didn’t cost taxpayers a dime in  ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, and ’08.
13. Sugar policy is predicted to cost taxpayers $0 in 2009.
14. One-sided trade deals force the U.S. to import sugar from 41 countries regardless of our needs.
15. 38 of America’s foreign sugar suppliers are developing countries and most support U.S. sugar policy.
16. The average American consumes 44 pounds of sugar a year.
17. 75% of Americans prefer buying homegrown sugar, even if foreign sugar is cheaper.
18. 100% of sugarbeet companies are owned by farmers.
19. Dependence on foreign sugar in WWII forced the government to ration sugar.
20. Food companies in other developed nations pay, on average, 65% more for sugar than American companies do.
21. The world sugar market is a thinly traded, heavily subsidized dump market and is the world’s most volatile commodity market.
22. America is the world’s third largest sugar importer.
23. NAFTA made Mexico the only sugar producer—domestic or foreign—with unlimited access to the U.S. market.
24. 54% of America’s sugar production comes from beets, the rest from cane.
25. Sugar prices in Mexico have historically been higher than U.S. prices.