Saturday, June 16, 2007  How Ethanol Inflates Food Prices:  Food
in the United States is relatively cheap -- but it could be even
cheaper. There are a wide range of federal policies that
increase the price of various foods. Federal marketing orders
for various agricultural products increase prices for milk
various fruits. Restrictions on sugar imports dramatically
increase the price of sugar, and therefore increase the demand
for sugar beets and corn syrup. And so on.   The nation's
unquenchable thirst for gasoline -- and finding an alternative
to what's been called our addiction to oil -- has produced an
unintended consequence: The cost of the foods that fuel our
bodies has jumped.     The corn price increases flow like gravy
down the food chain, to grocery stores and menus. The cost of
rounded cubed steak at local Harris Teeters is up from $4.59
last year to $5.29 this year, according to, which tracks prices.
The Palm restaurant chain recently raised prices as much as $2
for a New York strip. And so on.   T