artificially high prices impose huge economic costs on the U.S. economy ($2.5 billion last year). Thanks to a comment from Ron H. A few days ago, I posted about tariffs doubling U.S. sugar prices (see chart above) and how thosehigh prices impose huge economic costs on the U.S. economy ($2.5 billion last year). Thanks to a comment from Ron H.

I found a research paper

Employment Changes in U.S. Food Manufacturing: The Impact of Sugar Prices

," that was published by the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2006. Here is a summary of the findings:



1. Employment in sugar containing products ( SCPs ) industries decreased by more than 10,000 jobs between 1997 and 2002 according to the BLS . Approximately 6,400 of these job losses can be attributed to confectionery plant closings and relocations abroad, where high U.S. sugar prices were cited as a significant contributing factor. During the same period, non- SCP food manufacturing employment grew by 31,326.



2. Approximately 987,810 people worked in sugar-using industries as of 2002. In contrast, there are 61,000 full-time equivalent jobs involved in the growing and harvesting of sugarcane and sugar beets. Studies suggest that the U.S. sugar program helps to maintain approximately 2,260 of these sugar industry jobs, many of which are growing and harvesting jobs,

at an annual cost per job saved of $826,000. Therefore, the total economic cost to the U.S. economy of those jobs saved is about $1.9 billion per year.



3. For each one sugar growing and harvesting job saved through high U.S. sugar prices, nearly