WASHINGTON Roused by soaring food costs, an unusual alliance of restaurant, retail and consumer-advocacy groups has petitioned Congress to reconsider governmental efforts to turn corn and other farm products into fuel.
In a letter to two Democrats who are leading hearings today on federal food-to-fuel mandates and subsidies, the newly formed alliance acknowledged that food prices are being driven up by many factors, including “increased global demand, speculative bidding and changing weather patterns.” The one factor that Capitol Hill can control, it stressed, are “Congressional mandates and subsidies to turn food crops into fuel.”
“We urge you and your colleagues to continue examining food-to-fuel mandates in the context of national and global priorities,” asserted the letter, which was addressed to Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, both Democrats from New York. “We must quickly transition toward supporting solutions that don’t pit our energy needs against our food needs.”
The alliance, as yet unnamed, consists of 19 groups, including the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants. Other participants include The Hispanic Institute, the conservation groups Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Working Group, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
In addition to sending the letter today, the alliance also indicated that it is speaking with the staff of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, about her bill to freeze the federal government’s 2007 ethanol mandate, which set production minimums for alternative fuel..
Schumer and Maloney, who were scheduled to commence their hearings at 10 a.m. this morning, have yet to issue a response to the letter.
Panera Bread, Burger King and Starbucks have all cited higher commodity costs as a problem in reporting their earnings this week.