Sugar Facts (courtesy of the American Sugar Alliance)

• America’s sugar producers support 146,000 U.S. jobs.


• Sugar farmers don’t receive government subsidy checks.


• Sugar producers generate nearly $10 billion a year for the U.S. economy.


• Sugar policy is predicted to cost taxpayers $0 in 2011.


• Sugar is produced in 18 states.


• Sugar producers’ fuel costs have skyrocketed by 251% since 1985.


• Two-thirds of Americans believe sugar in the U.S. is inexpensive.


• Food manufacturers pocket lower sugar prices to boost profits instead of sharing the savings with shoppers.


• Sugar policy didn’t cost taxpayers a dime in ’02, ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09 and ’10.


• 38 of America’s foreign sugar suppliers are developing countries and most support U.S. sugar policy.


• Seven out of ten of Americans prefer buying homegrown sugar, even if foreign sugar is cheaper.


• 100% of sugarbeet companies are owned by farmers.


• Dependence on foreign sugar in WWII forced the government to ration sugar.


• One-sided trade deals force the U.S. to import sugar from 41 countries regardless of our needs.


• The world sugar market is a thinly traded, heavily subsidized dump market and is the world’s most volatile commodity market.


• America is the world’s second largest sugar importer.


• NAFTA made Mexico the only sugar producer-domestic or foreign-with unlimited access to the U.S. market.


• 55-60% of America’s sugar production comes from beets, the rest from cane.


• Sugar producers’ labor costs are up 110% since 1985; farm equipment costs 75% more.


• Sugar prices in Mexico have historically been higher than U.S. prices