Says Challenges Presented by COVID-19 Make It ‘Ever More Critical’ That We Maintain National Food Security
Washington, D.C. (March 31, 2020) – The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) today issued the following statement praising a congressional letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting further action to ensure that enough sugar is available for American food and beverage manufacturers. Senators sent USDA a similar letter calling for government action last month:
SUA commends Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) for taking the lead in urging the USDA to take immediate action to make additional sugar available in the U.S. market.
As the members of Congress do in their letter, we commend the USDA for recent actions to increase supplies to the U.S. sugar market to avoid a damaging shortage. However, more needs to be done — and the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic make it ever more critical that we maintain national food security with adequate sugar supplies, as we must do for other commodities. Unfortunately, the distortions created by the U.S. sugar program add an extra layer of complexity to the problems already created by the pandemic.
While the USDA should immediately allow additional sugar imports to meet existing demand, reforming the U.S. sugar program, which the Fair Sugar Policy Act (S.2568, H.R.4521) would do, is the long-term answer.
America’s food and beverage manufacturers applaud Representatives Foxx, Davis and their colleagues for urging the USDA to take swift action and call on all members of the U.S. House and Senate to get behind the Fair Sugar Policy Act.
Media Contact:
Frances Cox
(202) 822-9491
fcox@fratelli.com
