How the Outdated and Outrageous U.S. Sugar Policy Impacts the Manufacturers That Make Your Favorite Valentine's Day Treats
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's chocolate and candy companies play an important role in making consumers' favorite treats during the Valentine's Day season. Candy makers work hard to provide consumers with their favorite year-round treats ? and in doing so they also help fuel the American economy. But, they are shouldering significant hidden costs that Congress should fix this year. It's time for Congress to say 'yes' to fairness, 'yes' to competition and 'yes' to creating American jobs.
Simple Solution - Spoonful of Fairness
Sugar policy in the U.S. forces American food manufacturers to pay twice as much for sugar here at home than the rest of the world does. This complicated bureaucratic mess of price supports, market allocations, quotas, and government guarantees puts American businesses at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to creating jobs, and costs consumers billions of dollars. The program has an adverse multiplier effect: for every sugar-processing job saved through artificially high U.S. sugar prices, three American manufacturing jobs are lost. And on top of that, the sugar shakedown is baked into nearly every food, snack and treat ? including conversation hearts and boxes of chocolate ? which results in zero benefit for the American consumer. Late last year, the Sugar Policy Modernization Act was introduced to allow an adequate supply of sugar ? a spoonful of fairness that is modest in scope and does not abolish the program or hurt farmers.
Power of Sweet
The confectionery industry directly employs 55,000 people in the United States. On top of those valuable jobs in the manufacturing sector, more than 400,000 workers in agriculture, retail, transportation and other industries rely in part on the sale of confections for their livelihood. Every job created in the confectionery industry supports seven more in related industries, which means that chocolate and candy drive a multiplier effect of 1:7 or an impact of 700 percent. The industry is comprised of hundreds of small and medium-sized, family-owned businesses, as well as the multi-national companies with global brands that operate more than 1,000 manufacturing facilities in all 50 states.
For more information about candy and Valentine's Day, please visit https://www.candyusa.com/life-candy/valentines-day-central/.
The National Confectioners Association is the trade organization that advances, protects and promotes chocolate, candy, gum and mints, and the companies that make these special treats. As the leading association for the $35 billion U.S. confectionery industry, NCA educates the public to help ensure that it understands and appreciates the unique role that chocolate and candy can play in a happy, balanced lifestyle. Confections are produced in all 50 states, creating jobs for approximately 55,000 workers in more than 1,000 manufacturing facilities across the country. More than 400,000 jobs in agriculture, retail, transportation and other industries rely in part on the sale of confections for their livelihood. For every one job that is created by confectionery companies, another seven are supported in related industries. Learn more about the "Power of Sweet" at CandyUSA.com, or follow NCA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact: Christopher Gindlesperger
202-534-1440, [email protected]
SOURCE National Confectioners Association
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