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.
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.
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.
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.