Washington, DC (March 5, 2018) – The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) sent a letter on Friday to Gregg Doud, congratulating him on his confirmation to serve as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. SUA, which represents American food and beverage manufacturers who use sugar to make the products consumers know and love, used the opportunity to highlight the protectionist nature of U.S. sugar policy and its impact on U.S. trade and trade agreements.  

SUA wrote:

“You will soon be inundated with a host of issues to digest, but we write to call your attention to one program in particular that negatively impacts U.S. trade policy – the U.S. sugar program. 

“Overly protectionist U.S. sugar policies hamper the ability of U.S. negotiators to secure the best trade deals that benefit America and the American people. Over the last 25 years, the sugar program has reduced the potential positive economic impacts of trade agreements by discouraging U.S. trading partners from making meaningful market access concessions in trade negotiations. The result is that the 98 percent of U.S. agriculture that does not produce sugar crops gets less access to foreign markets than it otherwise might have gained. The effect also spills over into the services and manufacturing sectors.

“… We look forward to working closely with you to target and eliminate unfair policies that limit the competitiveness of American manufacturers trying to compete in the global economy and jeopardize the benefits of trade agreements to the United States.”

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The Sweetener Users Association (SUA) represents American food and beverage manufacturers who use sugar to make the products U.S. consumers know and love – from sweet treats to everyday staples like bread, pasta sauce, yogurt and peanut butter. SUA members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans across the United States – from bakers and confectioners to food scientists and factory workers.

Connect with us at SweetenerUsers.org or follow us on Twitter @SweetenerUsers.

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