National Poll – Americans Want Food Produced Domestically

American farm families feed, fuel, and clothe America. A new survey from the American Sugar Alliance shows that American voters recognize the importance of agriculture and want Congress to prioritize American farmers in the next Farm Bill, provide them with a strong and reliable safety net, and protect them from foreign entities that could displace our nation’s farmers and workers and disrupt our national food supply.

Nearly two-thirds of voters asked in a national survey said that the domestic food supply should be less dependent on foreign suppliers. This result cut across political affiliations and geographical regions. That's no surprise, considering food security is national security.

When it came to the sweet question of where Americans choose to buy their sugar from, eight times as many voters preferred American-made sugar compared to those who preferred imported sugar. That's because sugar in the U.S. is grown by 11,000 family farmers who raise sugarbeets and sugarcane. In turn, those crops and U.S. sugar production help support more than 151,000 workers in more than two dozen states. The U.S. sugar industry adheres to labor, environmental, and safety standards far beyond those of most foreign suppliers while receiving no direct payments from the U.S. government.

"The results of this national survey demonstrate the strong voter sentiment in favor of the U.S. sugar industry and the need for Congress to support our farmers and workers in the Farm Bill. Clearly, voters value domestic sugar production and don't want to depend on foreign suppliers for an essential food ingredient," said Cassie Bladow, Chairwoman of the American Sugar Alliance.

Also notable is that 71% of voters support U.S. sugar policy because it keeps sugar affordable and ensures a reliable domestic supply of an essential ingredient, as well as protects farmers, at no cost to the American taxpayer.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson said it best: "Our U.S. sugar industry is all family owned - so are we going to support foreign families or American farm families?"

Sugar crops are just two of the hundreds of crops farmers grow every day to feed our families. American voters have made it clear they support our farmers, so Congress must do the same by investing in our farmers and providing a robust farm safety net.

Between this revealing data and the powerful testimonials from U.S. sugar farmers, it's clear that Americans know that food security is national security - and Congress must support our farmers and workers by strengthening the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill and provide a robust farm safety net.

In Congress' Own Words

Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle agree: Food security is national security. The importance of agriculture is an issue that unites us. As Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said, "ag is that one thing that while most people may think that it is only rural, it affects all of us. It is rural, it is urban, it is who we are in this country."

EDITOR’S TAKE:

It should not come as a huge surprise that most Americans consider food security is analogous to national security. We only have to look at what is happening in the Ukraine to realize that disruptions to a country’s food supply can have devastating results, both internally and to those dependent upon their exports. Fortunately, U.S. farmers are the most productive and efficient in the world, producing not only enough for our needs domestically but also exporting a great deal of high-quality food, feed, fiber and fuel to the rest of the world. That said, we cannot simply take it for granted. We must ensure that farmers/ranchers can maintain production and marketing of their products. It is also critical that we maintain the infrastructure, i.e. roads/bridges/port facilities/rail/air transport, etc. Ensuring that our processors and retailers are equipped to handle emergency and longer-term food needs is also essential. Similarly, maintaining the ability of farmers/ranchers to have the equipment and trucks they require is important. That is why CAD members are an integral part of maintaining the food security of our nation!