Biodiesel Boom Raises Ethical Issues

High crude oil prices may have galvanized bio-diesel production, but some questions are now being asked in industry circles about the ethics of using a limited edible resource to meet the world’s energy needs, said an influential edible oils industry analyst.

Dorab E. Mistry, director of London-based Godrej International, said he opposes the practice of burning what is an essential food item and believes non-governmental organizations in Europe, where the bulk of the world’s bio-diesel is produced, will soon raise their protests.