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Dear Subscriber,
Today the Snack Food Industry made its case in US congress
for changes in the US biofuel policy, in light of the
dramatic increase of food prices and the environmental
costs.
Daryl Thomas, chairman of the Snack Food Association, spoke
to the House Small Business Committee during a hearing on
the impact of food prices on small business.
He told the committee members that congress should revisit
federal food-to-fuel mandates and subsidies. Daryl Thomas,
also Senior VP Sales and Marketing for Herr’s Foods Inc.
told the committee that snack food manufacturers such as
Herr’s have seen production costs rise by at least 15% due
to skyrocketing costs of commodities. Farm level corn prices
have increased more than 150% and soybean prices have jumped
more than 100%, he said.
With these statements the Snack Food Association joins a
growing chorus of voices, consisting of environmental
groups, Non Governmental Organisations such as FAO and many
others increasingly critical of the biofuel policies in the
US, Canada and many other countries.
So what is the impact of biofuels on the food prices?
Although biofuels are not the only factor driving up the prices
- just consider gas prices, with oil close to 125 USD/barrel
- it diverts significant amounts of potential food into
energy production: last year, anywhere between 20 – 40 % of
all corn in the US was used for energy production.
The unfortunate aspect is that some biofuels hardly
contribute to actual savings: use of ethanol from corn
instead of gasoline saves only 15%. Biodiesel from soybean
offers more perspective with about 40% savings. Ethanol
produced from sugar cane in Brazil comes out best, with 80%
saving in energy input. But this is only true for
established production locations. If forest is destroyed to
create the land to grow the sugar cane, the net energy
effect is negative for many, many years (I have read
somewhere up to 20 years). And high food prices and food
shortages obviously drive deforestation.
So is there no future at all for biofuels? Actually there
is… Daryl Thomas: “In particular we should accelerate
development of cellulosic ethanol derived from crop wastes,
grasses and other materials that do not increase food
prices, hold significantly greater promise to displace
traditional sources of gasoline, and could have less impact
on the environment.”
Use of potato waste for the production of ethanol also falls
in this category.
Enjoy reading,
Paul van Eijck
Hope to see you at the NRA annual exhibition or
the All Candy Expo
2008!
National Restaurant Association (NRA) restaurant
hotel-motel show, May 17-20, 2008, McCormick Place, Chicago
You will be able to meet a whole range of manufacturers
of (frozen) potato products, including
Aviko,
Basic American Foods,
Conagra (Lamb Weston)and
Keystone
Potato Products.
The All Candy Expo 2008, May 20-22, 2008
McCormick Place, Chicago
In the same venue as the NRA, so easy to combine, you can
meet with several snack manufacturers: exhibitors include
Herr's,
Kraft,
Proctor and Gamble,
The Inventure Group and
Utz. And of course, the
Snack Food Association (SFA) is represented as one of
the partners in the organisation of this exhibition.
More Events...
Premium Company Profile: Yum! Brands, Inc.
YUM! Brands intend to improve the brand appeal of Long John
Silver's and A&W All American Food as a part of its multibrand expansion strategy. The company expects to
register strong growth by building its existing markets and
expanding into new markets.
Read more...
Premium Company Profile: McDonald’s Corporation
McDonald's Corporation (McDonald's) is the world's largest
foodservice retailing chain, known for its burgers and
fries, which it sells through its 31,370 fast-food
restaurants in more than 118 countries. In 2008, it plans to
leverage upon its key consumer insights and global
experience, while developing and implementing initiatives
surrounding convenience, branded affordability and menu
variety.
Read more...
More Market Research Reports
Handbook
of Alternative Fuel Technologies
 In
addition to enabling a clean and energy efficient future,
alternative fuel sources are fast becoming a necessity for
meeting today's growing demands for low-cost and
convenient energy. The Handbook of Alternative Fuel
Technologies offers a thorough guide to the science and
available technologies for developing alternatives to
petroleum fuel sources and petrochemical feed stocks.
Read
more...
More Books
Digital Balance for Weight in Water Assessment
- Any weight of potatoes can be measured
- Depth of water required is only 40cm
- Use in the QC laboratory or in the field
- Portable, simple to use and robust
On the push of one button the PW-2050 weigher
automatically calculates percentage dry matter and specific
gravity of a potato sample. The PW-2050 can store up to 5000
individual weights in its memory and can download data to a
PC or printer. The time and date of each weighing is
recorded and printed and will remain in the memory until
cleared.
Read more...
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Ingredients for Potato Processing
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Ingredients for Potato Processing
Processing Equipment
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Chain
QSR Restaurants
More News on QSR Restaurants
Health and Nutrition
More News on Health and Nutrition
Energy and Environment
More News on Energy and
Environment
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Morton Salt |
United States |
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Morton is a supplier of salt and mixtures of salt designed for food
processing industry. |
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Jantar Ltd Stolon |
Poland |
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Jantar Ltd. Z.P.Z. STOLON is a Polish producer of potato flakes since
1889. |
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