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USDA announced [May 17] that it is allowing an extra 200,000 short tons of cane sugar imports to satisfy the demand of food companies that are shunning beet sugar because it is produced mostly from genetically modified seeds.
“USDA recognizes that America’s beet sugar producers have made significant investments in a strong 2016 crop, but they continue to face uncertainty,” USDA said in a release. “Based on the projections in the May 10, 2016, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, USDA took this action as required by the Farm Bill in order to maintain an adequate sugar supply in an uncertain market. This uncertainty is in part due to inaction on GE labeling legislation and lack of consumer information about genetic technology.”
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The uncertainty of how Congress will handle the GMO labeling situation is making it tough for beet farmers as several states move toward implementing GMO-labeling laws. . . .
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Meanwhile, companies like Hershey’s, Dannon and Ben and Jerry’s have recently pledged to source more cane sugar in order to avoid genetically modified sugarbeets.
Read full, original post: USDA raises cane sugar imports to deal with demand for non-GMO product
