Coalition for Sugar Reform Unwraps New Campaign
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Coalition for Sugar Reform today launched a new campaign titled "Unwrap the Facts" that seeks to counter what the coalition calls the sugar lobby's "misleading propaganda" that is promoted in order to keep existing sugar subsidies in place.
"The sugar lobby continues to distort the facts about the sugar program and its costs to consumers and businesses," stated Larry Graham, chairman of the Coalition for Sugar Reform and president of the National Confectioners Association. "While they continue to falsely claim that the sugar program operates at no cost, the fact is, the wasteful sugar program is a sweet deal for sugar growers, but it costs American consumers and businesses $3.5 billion a year and puts 600,000 U.S. sugar-using industry jobs in jeopardy."
The online hub for the campaign, www.sugarreform.org/unwrapthefacts/, features fact sheets and other resources. The campaign will also include outreach to Congress through e-newsletters, and social media engagement through Facebook and Twitter.
"The false 'no-cost' argument is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the sugar lobby's distortions," said Graham. "They also continue to exaggerate the amount of sugar available and a recent decrease in sugar prices, when the facts are, much of the 'surplus' they cite is inventory and refined sugar prices remain far above historical norms — roughly 50 percent or more above the world price."
More information about the U.S. sugar policy and why the coalition supports reform is available at www.SugarReform.org.
"We're urging policymakers, consumers and anyone interested in job creation and saving money to 'unwrap the facts' for themselves," Graham concluded.
The Coalition for Sugar Reform represents consumer, trade, and commerce groups, manufacturing associations, and food and beverage companies that use sugar, including confectioners, bakers, cereal manufacturers, beverage makers and dairy companies, as well as the trade associations for these industries.