US sugar supplies ‘running out’ because of the import limits being imposed on manufacturers by the American government. These curbs are causing a scare among makers of sugar based products who say that if the current rules stay in place that it could lead to a scarcity in US sugar supplies. Such international giants as Kraft and Hershey are among those voicing major concern as sugar prices hit a twenty eight year high because of the world shortage in this high demand commodity. As it stands, US companies are only allowed to bring in a certain amount of this “sweet gold” before becoming subject to these crippling tariffs.
US sugar manufacturers on the other hand deny such a shortage and insist that there are enough US sugar supplies to adequately meet the needs of all manufacturers. In their joint letter to Tom Vilsack, the US Agriculture Secretary, the food producers stated that if things continue as they are “our nation will virtually run out of sugar”. In response to this claim the US Dept. of Agriculture said that there has been a definite increase in domestic sugar supplies this week. American Sugar Alliance (ASA), the industries sugar group, defended the US Dept. of Agriculture by reminding that the next major harvest of sugar cane would be happening at the end of August and that the national sugar beet harvest would commence two months later in October. The Director of economic and policy analysis at the American Sugar Alliance , Jack Roney, said that “there is absolutely no shortage of sugar here”.
There are many reasons for the scarcity of US sugar supplies which include everything from a hike in population to the change in diet habits in our culture but two of the most prominent reasons for the jump in US sugar supplies prices is the fact that Brazil has increased its demand for sugar to be converted into Ethanol in order to power their automobiles and the extreme decline in production of general sugar in India which is the largest consumer of sugar on the planet.
Seeing that such a vast quantity of our everyday products do indeed depend on US sugar supplies it is probably a just need for concern however the threat of immediate imminent danger may be somewhat over exaggerated. A possible solution would be to find an alternative to industrial sugar, which like her sister industrial salt is taken for granted because they have been generally accepted as standards and changing taste buds opinions is a tough battle. Unfortunately, as many of the worlds resources begin to diminish maybe the US sugar supplies warning is just the early harbinger of further necessary changes around the corner. But as is our nature, until the crisis really hits, most folks won’t change their habits and will continue to consume as normal.
