During a recent stop in Lodi to tour the largest peach cannery in the world, area Congressman Josh Harder (CA-09) announced a purchase of up to $25 million of canned fruit to assist local growers fighting market challenges, and called for passage of his bipartisan bill to stop misleading foreign imports from crowding out local products. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses its Section 32 authority to purchase $5 million in canned peaches and $20 million for fresh and canned pears, Harder is working to require clear country-of-origin labeling on canned goods to end this “camouflaged competition.”
Officials noted that while the Valley produces 40 percent of America’s fruits, nuts, and other table foods, foreign competition has forced major plant closures in recent years.
Foreign imports are camouflaged, and many families have no idea they’re buying imported foods over USA-grown produce, Harder said.
This competition is getting worse – in the last five years, imports jumped from $6.3 billion to $9.2 billion.
“Families deserve to know if they’re buying peaches from down the road or from halfway around the world,” said Rep. Harder. “This $25 million purchase will help ensure our local growers can weather the storm of growing market competition, but we need a long-term solution that stops imported products from crowding out high-quality local options. Congress needs to pass my bill ASAP so that consumers have the transparency they want and growers get the support they need.”
The American CANS Act would put Valley communities first through:
Clear labels – requires that country-of-origin labels be clearly displayed on the front label or top of canned goods.
Healthier options – distinguishes between cheap foreign imports and high-quality local products to help consumers choose the best foods for their families.
“We are grateful to Rep. Harder for his support of the American Consumer Awareness of National Source (CANS) Act,” said Matt Strong, CEO of Pacific Coast Producers. “We appreciate Representative Harder’s understanding of the importance of USA grown food. We strongly believe that consumers would prefer USA-sourced products, which are grown and packaged with many protections - environmental safeguards for our land, water and air, food safety laws, worker health and safety laws and strong and fair labor laws.”
