There is No Sugar Supply Shortage in the United States. Period.

Recently, big corporate candy executives have been pushing a false narrative that there is a domestic sugar shortage. According to a recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture, not only are these reports totally false — there is actually a plentiful supply of sugar, assuring American families they will once again enjoy another holiday season with all their favorite treats.

Consider the following facts about how much American sugar beet and sugarcane farmers are contributing to our domestic supply right now:

>> The latest USDA WASDE report showed there is plentiful supplies of sugar in the U.S. for the holidays and heading into 2024. The USDA expects a surplus of more than 3.2 billion pounds, and it is likely that will exceed 3.4 billion pounds by the end of the marketing year. Last year, the USDA reported a surplus of more than 3.7 billion pounds.

>> We haven’t seen domestic shortfalls of sugar in part because when there is lower production in one region of the U.S., there is often an offsetting increase in production elsewhere.

>> Weather has been a factor in certain regions, but it’s not impacting our country’s sugar supply. The U.S. has an incredibly geographically diverse sugar supply across more than two dozen states.

• The U.S. had an excellent sugarbeet harvest this fall, and beet sugar production is expected to exceed 5.36 million tons, a new record.
• While drought has lowered Louisiana’s expected production from last year’s record crop of more than 2 mil tons to about 1.8 mil this year, that total may rise if good harvesting conditions continue in January.
• Texas’ sugarcane industry is dealing with low water supplies due to drought and Mexico’s failure to deliver water owed under the Water Treaty of 1944, but Florida’s sugarcane harvest is still coming in strong.

>> Overall, U.S. sugar production is currently estimated at 9.243 mil tons of sugar, which would be the 3rd largest year of sugar production ever. In general, the United States is the 5th largest producer of sugar in the world.

As big corporate candy executives attempt to blame American farmers for problems that don’t exist, they are at the same time taking in record profits and aiming even higher.

Our farmers are proud to supply America’s families as well as stores and food companies while supporting more than 151,000 jobs around the country in more than two dozen states. The $23.8 billion each year in economic activity contributes to economic opportunities for many rural and urban communities.