Final answer:
The sugar industry, as detailed in the documentary 'Sugar Coated,' is compared to historical exploitative systems and modern capitalist enterprises, highlighting impacts arising from sugar subsidies and tariffs, job losses in sugar-using industries, and the global market effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the documentary Sugar Coated, the sugar industry's practices are scrutinized, particularly the ways in which sugar subsidies and tariffs have economic and social impacts. This industry is compared to historical exploitative systems and modern capitalist enterprises. The implementation of sugar subsidies and tariffs has made cane sugar more expensive in the US than in countries without such protections. As a result, many candy manufacturing jobs have moved abroad, resulting in a significant job loss within the United States. In Mexico, for instance, candy and soda are made with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as sugar is cheaper there due to the absence of these subsidies and tariffs.
Candy companies have reduced production in the US and expanded it in foreign territories where sugar costs are lower. Over a period spanning two decades, the sugar-using industries have eliminated an estimated 127,000 jobs, highlighting a stark contrast to the total employment within sugar production itself. Elevated sugar costs due to these governmental policies have broader implications for U.S. consumers, potentially costing them about $1 billion per year in higher food prices. Additionally, sugar producers in low-income countries struggle to compete in the U.S. market due to the subsidization of domestic sugar production and import quotas.