Bio-Fuel

 

I read this article in the Sindie on Sunday and I wonder if this is going to cause problems for coeliacs as it appears that the US is going to turn an awful lot of their maize over to the production of useless biofuel. So if there is a shortage of maize, does this mean that a lot of products will substitute wheat for maize.

I shall be watching out, as all too often food processors, go for the cheapest rather than the best option.

This is my reply to the Sindie.

Rupert Cornwell in his column on Sunday, talked eloquently about the rush to biofuel using maize in the United States and how it was not good for the world in general, for the environment, for the production and price of food and everybody except those addicted to their overweight and underefficient vehicles.

I am worried about another consequence of biofuel.

Like 1-in-100 of the population of the UK, I am a coeliac, which means I’m allergic to the gluten in wheat, barley and rye. So that means I can’t eat bread, beer or pasta. But I can eat a wide and varied diet that keeps me healthy.

Food manufacturers and processors, especially in the UK, have over the last few years made great strides in removing gluten from their products, mainly by the use of maize starch. Because of biofuel, they will now find that the price of this basic ingredient will rise steeply. So will revert to cheaper gluten-based alternatives, thus limiting the diet for many of us?

I hope not.