Sugary Nonsense?

Several big food processors have written a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warning that the United States could "virtually run out of sugar" unless the federal government eases import restrictions.

I'm nearly always in favor of knocking down trade barriers, but my BS detector is beeping loudly on this one. The companies, including Kraft Foods, General Mills, Krispy Kreme, Hershey and Mars, "bluntly raised the prospect of a severe shortage of sugar," as the Wall Street Journal put it. They also threatened to raise prices and lay off workers unless something is done.

I'll have more to say on this later, but for now, note that the Journal says that "agricultural economists scoff at the notion of an America bereft of sugar."