Monday, March 21, 2011

Corn is the Culprit


You have almost certainly noticed a spike in fuel prices recently.  Due to events in the Middle East, the price per barrel has leapt to over $100, or around $3.50 a gallon for those of you who don’t buy oil by the drum.  What does this have to do with your food?  In short, its cost will rise.  Though some of this rise is attributed to an increase in transportation costs, the main culprit is corn.  This article from the Christian Science Monitor explains how the increased demand for corn is driving food prices through the roof.  When oil prices go up, ethanol becomes a coveted fuel source, so farmers take advantage of high corn demand by devoting their farmland to corn production.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0321/Eight-ways-100-a-barrel-oil-may-affect-you/Food-costs-rise-and-corn-demand-is-one-culprit




-k

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