Weekend reading: Manufacturers Feed America

I always like to know what the food industry is thinking, and was interested to run across a new report from the National Association of Manufacturers: Manufacturers Feed America: Strengthening Communities, Fueling Innovation, Growing the Economy.

It begins:

Behind every grocery store shelf is a carefully designed system that ensures American families can count on safe, abundant and affordable food every day. The food and beverage industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the United States, connecting farms to factory floors to family tables. Anchored in world-class science and rigorous safety standards, the U.S. food and beverage supply chain is a global leader—strengthening communities, fueling innovation and growing the economy. This outcome is not accidental. It is because manufacturers feed America.

Here’s what it covers:

What is this report about?

A growing number of state laws seek to ban ingredients, impose warning labels or mandate disclosures based on hazard-focused explanations rather than risk-based science…Manufacturers cannot realistically produce multiple versions of the same product to satisfy differing state rules without incurring substantial costs, sacrificing quality or disrupting supply chains and distribution systems.

And, says the National Association of Manufacturers, these laws are going to raise food costs and cause job losses.

It’s helpful to see these arguments spelled out so they can be countered effectively.