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Corn Ethanol: Higher Food Prices

From: The Environment Report
Length: 04:21

Corn ethanol is causing corn prices to go up. That will affect food bills. Read the full description.

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Playing: Corn Ethanol: Higher Food Prices
From: The Environment Report

Default-piece-image-2 Corn is most of the food we buy. Meat: corn fed chickens, cattle and pigs. Milk: corn fed cows. Soda and just about anything sweet: high fructose corn syrup. Processed foods: corn syrup and corn starch. The price of corn has nearly doubled. The reason is a greater demand for corn by producers of corn ethanol. With more corn ethanol plants being built, the demand will increase. That could mean higher inflation for food prices than we've seen in a very long time.

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Piece Description

Corn is most of the food we buy. Meat: corn fed chickens, cattle and pigs. Milk: corn fed cows. Soda and just about anything sweet: high fructose corn syrup. Processed foods: corn syrup and corn starch. The price of corn has nearly doubled. The reason is a greater demand for corn by producers of corn ethanol. With more corn ethanol plants being built, the demand will increase. That could mean higher inflation for food prices than we've seen in a very long time.

Broadcast History

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Transcript

CORN ETHANOL: HIGHER FOOD PRICES
Rebecca Williams
April 23, 2007

Some people are warning there are hidden costs to the drive for ethanol. The demand for corn-based ethanol for fuel has pushed the price of corn close to the highest price it's been in 10 years. In the first of our two-part series on ethanol, Rebecca Williams reports that economists say the push for more ethanol will mean higher prices at the supermarket:

(Sound of burger sizzling)

Everything in your classic American meal has one thing in common.

(Sound of soda can opening and fizzing)

The burger, chips, soda, even the ketchup. They all depend on corn.

Cows eat corn. Chips have corn oil in them. And your soda and ketchup have high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient. Supermarkets are loaded with food that has something to do with corn.

And lately, corn's been near its highest price in ten years....
Read the full transcript

Timing and Cues

Host intro: Some people are warning there are hidden costs to the drive for ethanol. The demand for corn-based ethanol for fuel has pushed the price of corn close to the highest price it's been in 10 years. In the first of our two-part series on ethanol, Rebecca Williams reports that economists say the push for more ethanol will mean higher prices at the supermarket.