WASHINGTON — In a letter to President Donald Trump, 16 members of congress are urging food security and a concern over the reliance of vitamins and amino acids supplied, sometimes exclusively, from China.
Led by U.S. Reps. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) and Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), the push is for increasing domestic production of feed additive ingredients and essential nutrients.
“China’s monopoly on vitamin production puts our food security and national security at enormous risk,” Finstad said in a statement. “As long as we rely on an adversary like China to produce nearly all of our global vitamins, our U.S. food security, livestock health, infant nutrition, and public wellbeing remain vulnerable. My colleagues and I are strongly urging President Trump and his administration to take necessary steps to strengthen domestic vitamin manufacturing to protect the American people.”
With China leading the world’s production of vitamins, the congressional letter notes that for feed-grade vitamin A 73 percent is produced with China, with nation also supplying 62 percent of vitamin E, more than 90 percent of vitamin C and nearly 100 percent of folic acid; along with the approximately 78 percent of the United States’ vitamin imports originating in China. It adds that China has also increased its rate as an amino acid supplier.
“China has strategically captured significant market share for everyday essentials, including vitamins and minerals used in baby formula and agriculture production,” Hinson said. “Securing our supply chain is a food security and national security priority. Shoring up the agriculture input supply chain is vital to protecting our families, our economy, and our future, and I look forward to building on the Trump administration’s work on this vital issue.”
The congressional letter also addresses how this issue impacts the production of poultry and other agricultural products in the U.S.
“Vitamins are indispensable for animal production, which forms the backbone of our food supply,” the letter notes. “Without adequate vitamins, sectors including eggs, aquaculture, swine, pet food, poultry, beef, and dairy would face severe disruptions. Shortages could lead to reduced feed efficiency, impaired growth rates, compromised animal health, and diminished protein output, ultimately threatening livestock productivity and food availability.”
Among the actions requested by congress include: investing in domestic production incentives and partnerships to lessen the Chinese reliance and enhance supply chains; include vitamin production in national security strategies; have a review of supply chain vulnerabilities regarding vitamins; and ensure that human infant formula inputs are included in national supply chain assessments and plans.
Animal feed ingredients
The congressional letter cited a recent report from the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), which provides details on U.S. reliance on Chinese vitamins and amino acids.
“The nutritious diets used for meat, milk and egg production that have been developed by years of research, development and field testing are essential for U.S. livestock and poultry production, and those diets rely on vitamin and amino acid supplementation,” IFEEDER’s report states, adding that, “The global supply chain for amino acids and vitamins used in animal feeds is characterized by high levels of concentration of production in a few countries, making it significantly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. China essentially has a monopoly on the production of some vitamins and accounts for a very significant percentage of global production capacity of several essential amino acids and key vitamins.”
The IFEEDER report also notes that U.S. poultry and livestock production use about 425,236 metric tons of the top four amino acids, and 48,903 metric tons of supplemental vitamins. It adds that China accounts for 100 percent of the imported lysine that is used in poultry feeds, and about 85 percent of threonine.
“The AFIA (American Feed Industry Association) has been sounding the alarm to U.S. policymakers for years that China’s growing and dominant influence in the vitamin and amino acid supply chain poses a food security and national security risk for America,” Constance Cullman, AFIA president and CEO, said. “Working with several champions in Congress … we believe we have the momentum needed to proactively address this issue. We know the Trump administration is committed to investigating the situation further and look forward to working with the president on next steps.”
Noting this recent congressional letter, Cullman added, “The AFIA appreciates the support from these members as they highlight the important role food security has in the security of our nation.”
