Consumers and industry members are being urged to sign an online petition to support reform of federal policies that require the use of corn for fuel rather than food.   The petition is available on the new Web site www.cornforfoodnotfuel.com, sponsored by associations including the National Chicken Council.

“I support ‘Corn For Food, Not Fuel,’” the petition says.  “Federal energy policies need to move beyond corn-based ethanol and look for the next generation of alternative fuels that don’t pit food, feed and fuel needs against each other.”

The website is sponsored by the American Meat Institute, National Meat Association and National Turkey Federation as well as NCC.  It also provides news articles on ethanol policies and informative literature.

“The policies and rules of the game for corn-based ethanol must be re-balanced and the playing field must be leveled to permit chicken producers and other animal agriculture producers to more fairly compete for the very limited supplies of corn this year and most likely for the next few years,” said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown.

The site outlines for consumers how rising corn prices, driven by ethanol demand, have contributed to increased meat and poultry costs at the grocery store.  “While many factors that contribute to rising food prices are mostly out of our control, like the weather, there is one underlying domestic factor that we can control: burning our food and animal feed in our gas tanks,” the site says.