Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Biofuel Boom Threatens Gummy Bears

...First it was tortillas in Mexico, then it was Frosted Flakes in America and recently German beer (more...). Now the latest food to become the victim of prices pushed up by the massive shift of crops to biofuel are Germany's beloved gummy bears.

...Peter Hahn, director of the German Brewers' Federation, said the popularity of biofuel crops has also led to a drop in the farming of barley because farmers get double the subsidies for biofuel. The result: the price for a ton of malt has doubled this year.
From Der Spiegel

Climateer Investing had a post on the German beer crisis back in May with commentary on the geo-political ramifications. A couple exerpts:
"Beer prices are a very emotional issue in Germany ..."

"Shut up. You've got your beer, haven't you?"
Hermann Goering during the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch