Americans Want Their Food Red, White and Blue
U.S. farmers sometimes worry that the American public takes them for granted.
 Not so, according to a March Harris Interactive poll that found nine out of 10 Americans felt it was important for the United States to produce food domestically instead of relying on foreign suppliers.
These results were not surprising to Larry Combest, the former Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
"All you have to do is pick up a newspaper to see stories of food safety issues around the globe," he said. "Americans know we still have the safest food supply in the world and that's because of the strict regulations imposed every step of the way."
McKeany-Flavell Company, a California-based research firm that specializes in the food industry, described some of these safety regulations in a paper that examined the importance of U.S. sugar farmers to food companies. That study explained:
"Quality standards in the United States are among the most stringent in the world. Our food and beverage manufacturers are extremely conscious of their consumers' demands and needs. Product specifications are developed and followed explicitly. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) programs, American Institute of Bakers (AIB) approval, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications are critical and mandatory for sugar suppliers, and even still many manufacturers test [all] their incoming ingredients to ensure quality. It is this attention to quality that gives the U.S. consumer confidence that foods and beverages consumed in our country are safe.
"For domestic sugar suppliers, it is standard practice to provide all proper paperwork with each load of sugar delivered to the food or beverage manufacturing plant…This is critical to the buying community. If the unfortunate happens and there is a problem, a well-documented paper trail assists in making corrections and re-delivering product well within a few days, sometimes hours."
And Americans apparently agree with McKeany-Flavell's conclusion that a vibrant domestic sugar industry is needed.
When told that imported sugar may be cheaper than U.S. sugar because of foreign subsidies and lower environmental and labor standards, 71 percent of respondents to the Harris poll said they'd rather buy homegrown sugar, even if it's more expensive.
Jack Roney, an economist for the American Sugar Alliance—which commissioned the Harris survey—said this finding is particularly impressive during an economic recession.
"Even during tough economic times, there are some things that are more important than saving a few cents," Roney explained. "Food safety, protecting the environment, and looking out for workers are matters that the American people still care about."
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