Contact: Joshua Morby 414.791.9120
MILWAUKEE – Joshua Morby, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance (WBIA) was in attendance at the “Balancing Energy, Food and Climate” conference today at UW-Madison. The conference featured presentations regarding the long-term sustainability of bio fuels as a fuel source, and offered more evidence that bio fuels like ethanol are not driving up the cost of food.
“There’s a growing consensus that ethanol is not responsible for driving up food costs, with new data to back it up,” Morby said. “In fact, many ethanol plants, like the one operated by Didion Ethanol, are producing both food and fuel from corn.”
A recent policy brief by Growth Energy, a newly-formed renewable energy coalition, notes that a US Department of Agriculture Study released this year identified 14 factors that have caused the increase in food prices, ranging from droughts to higher oil prices to increases in food demand.
These factors, additionally, are only responsible for approximately 20% of the costs of food. The other 80% is driven by “labor, packaging, advertising, and other costs,” according to the policy brief. These numbers are backed up by recent data showing corn prices down 50% since June while food prices are expected to rise 5% annually over the next two years, demonstrating that corn prices are not driving food prices.
In fact, rather than contributing to food shortages, ethanol plants are helping to provide food to needy areas.
The Didion Ethanol plant, located in Cambria, WI, is able convert a kernel of corn into both clean-burning ethanol and food products, the latter of which is sent to help feed starving people in Africa and Asia as part of the USAID Famine Relief Program.
“As myth after myth about ethanol is debunked, it’s time for bio fuels to play a larger role in meeting our nation’s energy needs,” Morby said. “Ethanol facilities like the Didion plant can both fuel our country and feed the world.
The Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance is a diverse group of businesses, environmental groups, and statewide and local organizations that have come together to build both public and legislative awareness of the Bio Industry in Wisconsin.
For more information about the Alliance, or to find out how to join, please visit our website: http://www.wisconsinbioindustry.com.
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