Washington, DC – Today, the Coalition for Sugar Reform applauded a bipartisan group of 10 Senators for urging the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to take into account how the outcome of the U.S.-Mexico sugar negotiations will impact manufacturing jobs in America’s food and beverage industry and prices for hardworking families.
The letter was signed by Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Warner (D-VA). In a letter to Secretary Ross on Friday, the Senators wrote:
“As Senators who represent states with a large presence of food and beverage manufacturers, we are concerned that any trade renegotiation will increase sugar prices in the United States and hurt American consumers. It is essential that the U.S. and Mexican governments forego additional trade restrictions or price controls on sugar that would ultimately raise prices for American families and threaten U.S. jobs in the food manufacturing industry.
“… [T]he suspension agreements between the United States and Mexico impose a price floor on imported sugar that is significantly higher than the guaranteed price for domestic sugar. While this policy benefits U.S. sugar growers and refiners, it harms American consumers, who are forced to pay higher prices at the grocery store.
“… Until now, domestic sugar growers have exerted excessive influence on the trade negotiations at the expense of manufacturers who depend upon sugar for their products and all Americans consumer these products. Because domestic growers and refiners do not produce enough sugar to meet the demands of U.S. consumers, imports are necessary so that American-owned business can remain the competitive in the global market. The sugar-using industry employs more than 600,000 workers across the United States. These well-paying American jobs would be jeopardized by any further restrictions on sugar imports, which only advance the narrow interests of domestic growers and large sugar companies.”
For the full text of the letter, click here.
An alliance of consumers, food and beverage manufacturers, taxpayer watchdog groups, responsible government advocates and trade advocacy and environmental groups – the Coalition continues to urge Commerce to overhaul the suspension agreements to encourage a competitive marketplace and support U.S. manufacturers and the hundreds of thousands they employ in every state.
The United States is a net importer of sugar, and until the U.S. sugar industry filed anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases in February 2014, there was free trade in sugar between the United States and Mexico since early 2008. Mexico has become an integral part of the North American sugar trade and is a critical supplier of sugar to the United States.
Learn more about how Washington can make U.S. sugar policy work for America atwww.SugarReform.org.
About the Coalition for Sugar Reform:
The Coalition for Sugar Reform (www.SugarReform.org) represents consumer, trade, and commerce groups, manufacturing associations, and food and beverage companies that use sugar — including confectioners, bakers, cereal manufacturers, beverage makers and dairy companies — as well as the trade associations for these industries.
Source: Coalition for Sugar Reform
