Running Head US Imports and Exports
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Global Food Supply as Related to US Imports and Exports
Griff Allen
UF 300
Boise State University
US Imports and Exports
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Abstract
The global economy relies heavily on United States exports and imports to thrive. As a major
global power, the US has a responsibility to the rest of the world to trade responsibly. This
claim is not only an ethical issue but an economic issue, and as such should be addressed in a
manner that benefits the most people possible. The subjects in this paper will briefly cover the
import and export numbers of the US, types of goods imported and exported. Resources
supporting this information include the United States Department of Agriculture and the United
States Food and Drug Administration. This paper is not meant to stand alone, but rather, it is
intended to accompany the writing of other group members for the purpose of addressing the
issues of the global food supply. These issues include but are not limited to: where food is
grown and consumed, genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) and Monsanto’s role in food
supply, how edible foods actually are, and subsidization of foods both domestically and abroad.
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We seem to have arrived at a crossroad. Granted this crossroad may take decades to pass, but
nonetheless, the issue is staring us in the face… and we’re closing our eyes. Human survival
depends on only a few things. There is more to life than just survival, but it’s difficult to
convince someone dying of malnutrition that there is a more pressing matter than food. Food,
water, air, shelter, these things seem so basic that we hardly think about them unless we want
to “upgrade” our circumstance. Solutions to global food supply issues are approachable from
many angles; however as a ‘world superpower,’ the United States has a loud voice on this ball
we call our home. In 2013 the United States imported more than 103 billion dollars and
exported over 140 billion dollars’ worth of agricultural goods (Latest U.S. Agricultural Trade,
2014). This level of trade has a huge impact on the global economy. These imports, while they
boost the economy worldwide, also have costs involved. For instance the U.S. Government
must pay inspectors to live in key areas around the world to ensure safety of the food imported
(Bristol, 2008). As shown in the charts below taken from the United States Department of
Agriculture website, every year for the last four consecutive years, both U.S. imports and
exports have increased dramatically. In fact in some instances they have almost doubled. It’s
not difficult to see that the United States will play an important role in the global food chain.
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It is difficult to summarize all U.S. food trade together, because there are so many types of
food. There seems to be a trend however in the types of food the U.S. produces. Exporting food
that is low in nutritional content has become the norm for the United States. For example, in
the fiscal year 13/14 the worldwide production of wheat was 713.97 million metric tons. The
United States produced almost 58 million metric tons; however, In the same year, the world
production of corn was 981.89 million metric tons, and the U.S. produced just over 353 million
metric tons (Bange, 2014). These grown items are consumed by almost everyone on the planet,
and the U.S. has huge influence on the world with these foods.
The time has come for the United States to change the way the world views food. These huge
numbers make a statement. They plant the flag firmly in the ground of world food supply, but
the U.S. may have planted the flag in the wrong camp. Economy obviously drives the system.
Money talks, but this is where we meet the crossroads. Will we as a country continue to export
foods that are low in nutritional value to the rest of the world, or will we lead the charge of
good food for the world. Will we drive the global food supply toward an import export model
that allows poor countries to survive, or will we close our eyes when we see people in need?
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References
United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Latest U.S Agricultural Trade [Data File].
Retrieved From http://www.ers.usda.gov/datafiles/Foreign_Agricultural_Trade_of_the_
United_States_FATUS/Latest_US_Agricultural_Trade/monsumtable.xls
Bange, Gerald Ph.D. United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). World Agricultural Supply
and Demand Estimates [Data File]. Retrieved From
http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/latest.pdf
Bristol, N. (2008). US FDA takes steps to boost safety of imports. Lancet, 371(9611), 461.