ATLANTA, G.A. (March 28, 2018) – The Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy (AFSP) today released the following statement supporting the adoption of Georgia Senate Resolution 1115, which urges Congress, particularly the Georgia Congressional delegation, to support commonsense reforms to the outdated U.S. sugar program. Sponsored by State Senator John Wilkinson, the resolution cites the sugar program’s adverse impact on both the state and national economies.

“Georgia lawmakers know firsthand the adverse effect the U.S. sugar program has on its small businesses, food manufacturers, and consumers. This outdated and outrageous program negatively impacts more than 16,000 jobs across 289 small, family-owned businesses and other manufacturers in Georgia alone, and benefits only a handful of sugar mega-processors.

“The sugar program is a complicated and bureaucratic mess of price supports, market allocations, quotas, and government guarantees that are ultimately covered by taxpayer dollars. It is the only commodity subsidy program that has not been modernized in the past 80 years. It forces manufacturers to pay twice as much for sugar as the rest of the world, putting American businesses at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to creating jobs.

“The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that for every sugar-processing job subsidized through artificially high U.S. sugar prices, America loses three manufacturing jobs. Overall, the sugar program has killed 123,000 jobs between 1997 and 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“As the debate around federal farm policy heats up in Washington, we support this call for federal lawmakers to protect Georgia small businesses and consumers and pass sensible reforms to the sugar program.”

The Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy (AFSP) is a broad-based coalition advocating to modernize the outdated and outrageous U.S. sugar program. Formed by a sizeable group of small, family-owned businesses and manufacturers, retailers, food and beverage companies, trade associations, environmental advocates, taxpayer watchdog organizations, responsible government advocates, think tanks and other organizations, the group’s goal is to help level the playing field for American manufacturers and their families when it comes to being able to create jobs.

To learn more about the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy and the need for sugar reform, please visit FairSugarPolicy.org.

Click here to view a one-minute animated video that explains the sugar policy issue.

Click here to learn more about the impact of the sugar program on the state of Georgia.