WASHINGTON, D.C. –  In response to the release of the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the U.S. Sugar Program, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy, Grant Colvin, released the following statement:

“For too long, the discussion over the U.S. sugar program in Washington has pit America’s food manufacturers and sugar producers against one another. The GAO cuts through this false choice and shows that commonsense updates to the U.S. sugar program not only will increase supply chain reliability for manufacturers and lower costs for consumers, but also can be done while protecting the farm safety net for sugar producers. The GAO reinforces what food and beverage manufacturers have been saying for decades: The current U.S. sugar program is not keeping pace with today’s farm and food economy. It’s time to rebalance the program to ensure an equitable outcome for all stakeholders and provide relief for American small businesses and consumers nationwide.”

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The Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy (AFSP) is a broad-based coalition advocating to modernize the outdated U.S. sugar program established by Congress more than 80 years ago. 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 provide relief to family budgets by establishing a fairer, simpler U.S. sugar program. To learn more about the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy and the need for sugar reform, please visit FairSugarPolicy.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.