Rob Smith, the author of this op-ed, is the president of A&B Chemical Co., Inc, a Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.-based distributor of food-grade additives, including the preservative sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP).
SeafoodSource’s recent article clarifying the positions taken by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and the American Shrimp Processors Association regarding President Donald Trump’s “Buy American” executive order was spot-on.
I agree that, in principle, the “Buy American, Hire American” executive order and endorsement by ASMI and ASPI should help the domestic seafood industry. However, everyone seems to overlook the supporting cast of suppliers who provide goods and services to these domestic producers. I am talking about U.S.-made ingredients that go into the seafood, such as seasonings, phosphates, and breading, as well as packaging supplies.
Why is this segment of the industry excepted from the “Buy American” mandate? My company supplies U.S. phosphate, strictly to the seafood industry. Yet there are many U.S. companies that process domestic seafood using imported phosphates. The domestic catfish industry touts itself as 100 percent American, yet I don't sell my products to a single catfish producer. It should be noted that my company is the only American one that sells light-density U.S. phosphate to the seafood industry, so I can attest that the catfish industry is not using American-crafted phosphate.
Should companies that provide products essential to the seafood industry be excluded from the “Buy American” discussion? Each of these supporting companies employs people and supports the U.S. economy, just like our domestic partners. However, most U.S. seafood producers buy their auxiliary products from Canada, China, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic and elsewhere abroad not because of performance, but because of cost. This is not about labeling a product as “Made in the U.S.A.,” (plenty of loopholes for that), it is about promoting and supporting jobs, businesses and the economy here at home.
Domestic seafood producers charge a premium for their seafood – as they should – because they support the American economy and American jobs. It is time for these producers to look in the mirror. They need to look at where they’re sourcing all the ingredients they use in making their products, and if they want to call them American-made, then they need to make a full commitment to American producers like ourselves.
