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Posted On: October 27th 2026, 08:27 pm
THE FUTURE OF FOOD IS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET.
Alexander Hamilton understood this back in 1791. In his Report on Manufactures, he called for America to become “independent of foreign nations for military and other essential supplies.”
To me, food belongs on that list. I've always said math tells the best stories. In business and in life, the numbers don't lie.
Part 1: SEAFOOD
So let's look at our seafood security. According to NOAA Fisheries, approximately 80% of the seafood Americans consume comes from imports.
EIGHT OUT OF EVERY TEN POUNDS ARE IMPORTED.
We have fishing grounds in the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska. We have American fishermen. So why are we importing so much seafood while exporting our own?
In 2023, America imported 6.3 billion pounds of edible seafood and exported 2.5 billion pounds. Some American-caught seafood goes overseas for processing and then comes back here. I understand that labor costs, processing facilities, and what people want to buy all play a part. I've been in the food business for decades. But I still want to know what it would take to do more of that work here at home. Then there is shrimp. From January through August 2026, nearly 69% of our imported shrimp came from Ecuador and India.Two countries.
If those shipments were interrupted for months, where would restaurants and grocery stores get their shrimp? What would it cost? How many businesses could afford it?
I've owned restaurants. When your supplier can't get something, you have to find another source, change the menu, or stop serving it. Now imagine thousands of businesses trying to find another source at the same time.
We have domestic seafood and inventory. But replacing that much imported food would take time. That's why I keep talking about American farming and manufacturing. We need to invest in our fishermen, sustainable aquaculture, and the facilities to process more food here.
I want other countries to have that opportunity, too. Share the technology. Work together. Help build the farms and factories that allow people to feed their own communities.
Be Love ❤️.
Alexander Hamilton understood this back in 1791. In his Report on Manufactures, he called for America to become “independent of foreign nations for military and other essential supplies.”
To me, food belongs on that list. I've always said math tells the best stories. In business and in life, the numbers don't lie.
Part 1: SEAFOOD
So let's look at our seafood security. According to NOAA Fisheries, approximately 80% of the seafood Americans consume comes from imports.
EIGHT OUT OF EVERY TEN POUNDS ARE IMPORTED.
We have fishing grounds in the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska. We have American fishermen. So why are we importing so much seafood while exporting our own?
In 2023, America imported 6.3 billion pounds of edible seafood and exported 2.5 billion pounds. Some American-caught seafood goes overseas for processing and then comes back here. I understand that labor costs, processing facilities, and what people want to buy all play a part. I've been in the food business for decades. But I still want to know what it would take to do more of that work here at home. Then there is shrimp. From January through August 2026, nearly 69% of our imported shrimp came from Ecuador and India.Two countries.
If those shipments were interrupted for months, where would restaurants and grocery stores get their shrimp? What would it cost? How many businesses could afford it?
I've owned restaurants. When your supplier can't get something, you have to find another source, change the menu, or stop serving it. Now imagine thousands of businesses trying to find another source at the same time.
We have domestic seafood and inventory. But replacing that much imported food would take time. That's why I keep talking about American farming and manufacturing. We need to invest in our fishermen, sustainable aquaculture, and the facilities to process more food here.
I want other countries to have that opportunity, too. Share the technology. Work together. Help build the farms and factories that allow people to feed their own communities.
Be Love ❤️.
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