The Importance of Imports as a Source of Food

Excerpts from the report: About 12 percent of all food consumed by U. S. civilians in 1964 was imported or shipped in from U. S. Territories. Both fishery products and farm products are included in this estimate. Many foods are entirely domestically produced, but many others, primarily tropical commodities such as coffee, tea, cocoa products, bananas, many of the treenuts, several oils and oilseeds, and such fishery products as spiny lobsters are mostly imported. Close to half of the agricultural foods imported last year are classed as either noncompetitive or only partly competitive with U. S. -produced products. Coffee is by far the most important imported food item. Valued in terms of 1957-59 farm (or dockside) prices, coffee accounted for 45 percent of total imports for civilian food last year. The other major food imports were beef and veal, 11 percent; sugar and sirups, 9 percent; bananas, 9 percent; cocoa products, 8 percent; and fishery products, 5 percent. Crop products accounted for 80 percent of the total and animal products 20 percent.