Paid PR hypes biofuel role in food price hikes

Subsidies for ethanol production are pushing up demand for corn, but don’t have the level of price impact implied in a stealth campaign paid for by a food-industry lobbying group.

Documents shared by Iowa Senator Charles Grassley show the effort to influence key media “opinion influencers.” A memo said the goal was to “Develop a global center-left coalition of environmental, hunger, food aid, poverty, development, senior, children, business, nutrition, farm, consumer and labor groups” movement to “amplify the links between (biofuel) mandates and food prices.”

Food and Farm File columnist Alan Guebert asks: “Aren’t other, more powerful market forces — global grain demand outpacing production seven of the last nine years, crude oil prices 500-percent taller than 10 years ago, inclement weather — propelling grain prices more than U.S. ethanol?” He says a public (and media outlets) looking for a simple explanation for high food prices too quickly embraced the anti-ehtanol claims. Full story: Farm & Dairy