The Hill News

There is finally a concerted effort in Congress to make changes to U.S. sugar policy, and it’s about time. For decades, no other agricultural policy has been more counterproductive for American consumers and business, not to mention the farmers in less developed nations who could otherwise serve many, if not most, of our needs for sugar.
 
The recent clash of wills in Washington over federal spending gave ample evidence of a system tilted to favor some groups over others, often regardless of economic merit. Most of our leaders now recognize that these old ways must change, that costly entitlement programs need to be re-examined.
 
In its various guises since 1934, the U.S. sugar program has deliberately kept the cost of domestic sugar several times that of world market prices. Needlessly, our consumers pay far more for every product that uses sugar as an ingredient â€" from corn flakes to colas, from pastries to baby foods. The impact falls hardest! on families already struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain economy.
 
Equally egregious, small businesses and food manufacturers of every type have been forced to move processing plants offshore, eliminating thousands of jobs in a nation suffering over 9 percent unemployment. Our U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that 112,000 jobs have been lost in sugar-using industries over a 12-year period. In my home state of Tennessee, Standard Candy Company â€" the original maker of King Leo Candy â€" sold the brand to Quality Candy Company in Mexico, driven in large part by our government-mandated higher price for sugar in the U.S.

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