When you drive up to Wendy's or other fast-food chains in the U.S., you are consuming corn in at least two ways.The chicken or hamburger in your meal comes from an animal raised on corn.Since the fuel in your car is 10 percent ethanol, which is made from corn, the two are competing for the same grain.Ethanol diverts a significant share of the US corn crop each year, says University of Missouri economist Pat Westhoff.And, by doing so, it makes corn prices higher than they otherwise would be.Higher corn prices mean higher meat prices.Ethanol has consumed a growing share of the corn market since a 2005 law required it be added to U.S. gasoline.Now, the chain restaurant industry wants the law repealed.At a recent news conference, franchise owner Ed Anderson said that the mandate costs each of his four Wendy's restaurants up to $30,000 per year.Congress passed the ethanol mandate, and now restaurants are being hit at a time our economy can't afford it, he said.But not everyone agrees the law is driving up food prices.They note that even in this year's record-breaking drought, when corn prices hit new highs, the federal government declined to waive the law.Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found doing so would only change the price of corn by a few cents.It moves three or four cents on a sneeze on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, says Renewable Fuels Association chief Bob Dinneen. So waiving this program wasn't going to provide any relief.Ethanol was not driving the price increase. There was no reason to waive the program.Dinneen says ethanol is reducing dependence on foreign oil and holding down the price of gasoline.
当你驾车前往美国的温蒂汉堡或其它快餐连锁店,你就至少在两个方面消耗玉米。你点餐的鸡肉或汉堡来自于用玉米喂养的动物。而且你车内燃料中占10%的乙醇也是来源于玉米,而就是上面所提的这两种正为了相同的谷物展开争夺。乙醇每年转化具有重大意义的美国玉米作物份额,密苏里大学经济学家帕特・韦斯特幅说道。这样做提高了玉米价格，而其他消耗玉米的方式则不会有这样的效果。而更高的玉米价格意味着更高的肉类价格。自2005年一项法案要求玉米被添加进美国汽油起乙醇已经消耗了越来越大的玉米市场份额。现在,连锁餐饮业希望这项法律被废除。在最近的一次新闻发布会上,快餐店老板埃德・安德森称他的4家温蒂汉堡餐厅每一家成本高达每年30，000美元。国会通过了乙醇政策,现在快餐店在我们的经济负担不起的时期受到了冲击。他说道。但并不是每个人都同意该法案抬高了食品价格。他们注意到,即使是今年创纪录的干旱,玉米价格达到新高时,联邦政府也拒绝废弃法律。而来自美国国家环境保护局(EPA)的研究发现这样做只会改变玉米的价格几美分。3至4美分的波动对芝加哥期货交易所来说无关痛痒,可再生燃料协会负责人鲍勃・德纳说道。废弃这一法案不会带来任何缓解。乙醇并没有带动价格上涨。没有理由废弃这一法案。德纳表示乙醇正在减少对外国石油的依赖并且对汽油的价格起到了抑制作用。
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