Now big food, in the shape of the US Grocery Manufacturers' Association is using underground campaigning against ethanol, according to DesMoinesRegister.com ,which is printed deep in the heart of the US cornbelt, Iowa. The website reports Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer saying
"Underground things that have been going on for several weeks to generate the public opinion that some of these things (biofuel incentives) ought to be changed."
He was talking about the US Grocery Manufacturers' Association. The report says:
That organization, which represents such household names as Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft and General Mills, hired a public relations firm operated by former Clinton administration associates to win support for freezing or rolling back a newly enacted mandate for ethanol usage.
The Grocery Manufacturers' Association has been concerned about the rising price of corn and other food stuffs for at least a year.
In May 2007 I wrote that US grocers want an end to US corn subsidies and tariffs.
So this isn't new. What is interesting is the line that the paper is taking. The report links the unnamed lobby group with "Clinton Administration Associates" which will probably push a few buttons (and looking at the comments on the original piece has). I'll see if we can get more detail would have made this much more plausible. .