Candy is Big Business in U.S., Sugar Industry Concerned about Policy

Dan Specialty Crops, Sugar, This Land of Ours

American candy makers are doing quite well, but is there a threat to the sugar industry? That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

candy
Photo by Vinicius “amnx” Amano on Unsplash

It seems the U.S. has a sweet tooth, and that means big profits for candy makers. According to the National Confectioners Association, U.S. confectionery sales will reach $44.9 billion by 2026, which is a more than 20 percent increase from last year’s $36.9 billion in sales.

But while that may sound sweet to the candy companies, it leaves a bad taste for some, such as the president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association Nate Hultgren. He says “It’s insulting that multi-billion-dollar corporations are posting high profits while crying poor to Congress as they try to dismantle the policy that protects his farm.

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The dispute is over proposals that those in the sugar industry say would weaken the nation’s sugar policies. Several lawmakers agree and sent a letter to USDA asking the department not to adopt those policies. The group was bipartisan and included several senators from sugar-producing states.

Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land of Ours program here.

Candy is Big Business in U.S., Sugar Industry Concerned about Policy

Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.

Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.