MW Why America's dangerous need for imported food is a crisis waiting to happen

By Andrew Rechenberg

Food is not just a commodity; it's also a pillar of national security

Any serious disruption of global supply chains - through pandemic, war or cyberattack - would expose the fragility of America's imported food system.

The United States is no longer the world's breadbasket. Instead, it's becoming a dumping ground for imported food - at the expense of America's family farms.

In 2024, the U.S. ran a record $38 billion agricultural trade deficit. The country that once fed the world now imports far more food than it exports. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects this deficit to worsen to $49 billion in 2025.

The architects of America's agricultural decline are easy to identify: the global trade consensus that has gutted the nation's farm economy - and the handful of multinational agribusiness giants that profit from it.

The U.S. government also carries blame. Over the past three decades, Washington has signed onto trade deals that opened U.S. markets to cheap food imports and did little to protect local producers. The result? Since 1997, America has lost more than 312,000 family farms, shed 63 million acres of farmland, and allowed the consolidation of cropland in the hands of just a few corporate producers.

Meanwhile, U.S. consumers have become worryingly dependent on foreign food suppliers. Almost 60% of the fresh fruit on American shelves is now imported, up from 30% in the early 1980s. That isn't progress. It's surrender.

Trade liberalization was originally sold to the American public on the promise of booming agricultural exports. And in raw dollar terms, exports have indeed grown. But after adjusting for inflation and commodity price spikes, that "growth" shrinks dramatically. In fact, export volumes for core U.S. commodities such as wheat (W00) and corn (C00) have been stagnant for the past 30 years. U.S. corn export volumes have risen just 4.1% since 1995, despite the global population growing over 40%. And wheat exports are down 33% in volume since 1995. Essentially, trade "success" is often just inflation in disguise.

The only consistent winners have been the global corporations controlling grain and oilseed exports.

The only consistent winners have been the global corporations controlling grain and oilseed exports - corn, soybeans (S00) and wheat - that now comprise more than 95% of America's agricultural trade surplus. These few commodities mask the collapse of every other agriculture category. In 2024 alone, the U.S. ran deficits of $12 billion in fruit, $11 billion in meat and seafood, and close to $5 billion in vegetables.

This collapse isn't just economic - it's strategic. Food is not just a commodity; it's also a pillar of national security. Any serious disruption of global supply chains - through pandemic, war or cyberattack - would expose the fragility of America's imported food system.

The hidden costs are enormous. As cropland is consolidated, rural communities hollow out. And when produce is shipped thousands of miles, its freshness and nutritional value decline. Oversight of America's food safety is also weakening since the Food and Drug Administration can only inspect a fraction of incoming food shipments. As a result, most imported food items move directly to store shelves without serious scrutiny.

Nonetheless, Big Ag lobbyists in Washington continue to push for the expansion of the current trade model. Their vision is simple: a handful of industrial-scale producers grow a select few U.S. crops for export to global markets. But everything else - from tomatoes to beef - is imported. Local farmers get pushed out. And U.S. consumers buy globalized food engineered for shelf life, not nutrition.

This is appalling. It's time for the U.S. to reassert control over its food supplies. And that starts with a Section 232 investigation into agricultural imports. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act allows the U.S. government to examine whether certain imports are weakening national security - and take corrective action. The law has already been used to protect other critical industries, but there is no resource more critical than food. A thorough investigation would restore balance, boost family farming and give consumers higher-quality, localized food.

Washington has allowed Big Ag lobbyists to write the nation's farm trade policy for far too long.

Washington has allowed Big Ag lobbyists to write the nation's farm trade policy for far too long. And they've successfully written small- and midsize farms out of existence. That must end. If America wants resilient food systems, prosperous local farms and markets, and fresh, nutritious produce, then the federal government needs to take action. Section 232 is the tool. Washington just needs the will.

Food security is national security. It's time to protect family farms and local food - not global trade deals written for Big Ag.

Andrew Rechenberg is an economist at the Coalition for a Prosperous America $(CPA)$.

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-Andrew Rechenberg

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May 16, 2025 07:50 ET (11:50 GMT)

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