Food execs to examine solutions to biofuel threat

Food industry R&D executives will be meeting in Chicago next month to examine the impact of increased biofuel demand on their business, in an effort to anticipate challenges resulting from a fundamental shift in supply chain dynamics.

Organized by the American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI), the symposium and workshop will examine the projected demand for biofuels, and the impact of this on the food industry supply chain, on consumers, on food formulation and on food technology.

It will involve contributions from industry, academia and government, and is conveniently timed on July 26-28, just before the food industry’s major annual IFT event, which will also be taking place in Chicago.

“The surge in demand for biofuels signals a significant threat to food company supply chains and a huge paradigm shift in how food companies purchase ingredients, control quality and develop products,” said AACCI.

With increased competition from the energy industry for agricultural land and water, products that lie at the core of the food supply will be affected, it said. These include grains, starches, sweeteners, sugar alcohols, acidulants, enzymes, emulsifiers, vitamins, amino acids, fats and oils, meat, dairy, poultry and egg.

The meeting’s program will aim to identify and review potential solutions to the price and supply issues generated by demand for corn and other agricultural commodities for ethanol production.

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