U.S. candy makers are making big bucks selling their sugar products to everyday Americans, but while they are raking in profits, they are at the same time biting the hand that feeds them—American sugar farmers.
American farmers supply candy makers like Hershey’s with the majority of the sugar they use for their products, but Big Candy doesn’t appear to be satisfied with their record profits.
Companies like Hershey’s and other sugar users are behind a PR campaign to try to convince lawmakers and consumers that there’s a “sugar shortage,” but the opposite is true - American sugarcane and beet farmers continue to produce an ample supply of sugar for consumers and companies that use sugar in their products.
Current projections by the United States Department of Agriculture suggest this year’s total sugar surplus should exceed demand by more than 3.7 Billion pounds.
With so much sugar available and a slick PR campaign happening in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and other national outlets, local farmers like Ardis Hammock, who grows sugarcane in Moore Haven, FL are left wondering if there’s a hidden agenda among candy executives that would threaten American farm jobs.
“Our customers, those same candy companies, have claimed 2023 as a ‘record year,’ posting more than $42 billion in confectionary sales and posting record profits,” said Hammock in a recent statement. “Frankly, there is no sugar shortage, and business looks pretty SWEET for candy companies.”
The sugar shortage narrative appears to be politically motivated considering that the U.S. Congress will once again negotiate a new Farm bill later this year.
Congressman Cory Mills (R), who has established himself as a strong support of American agriculture, dismissed the “globalists’” assertion that American farmers are not able to keep up with the demand.
“As Bidenflation continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and hurt the American family, there is a narrative being circulated by globalists that our American farmers cannot keep up with the demand for sugar. This is not the case. American farmers continue to hold surpluses on homegrown vegetables and commodities like sugar, and as Americans, we must continue to buy American and support our local farmers,” said Mills in a statement to The Floridian.
The pressure being put on Congress by candy makers is in the hope that the federal government allows for more foreign and heavily-government subsidized sugar to be allowed to enter the U.S. food market at the expense of American producers.
Currently, foreign-based sugar makes up nearly 30% of the total sugar market in the U.S. (Note: The U.S. is one of the world’s largest importers of sugar). The rest is produced by American farmers in 17 states, including Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota, North Dakota and California, among others.
