Steps need to be taken to make certain that using biofuels to fight climate change does not cause a surge in food prices, a Great Britain government report on food policy said on Monday.

The Guardian Unlimited UK quotes the report as reading, “some biofuels can potentially play an important role in tackling climate change, but we must ensure that they are sustainable and that they do not distort food markets.”

The report was published as a summit of the Group of Eight rich nations in Japan discussed food prices. Another report on biofuels is due to be released later on Monday, which should draw more attention to the issue of diverting food crops to make fuel that hunger campaigners blame for the soaring food prices.

The European Union is facing growing criticism for a proposal to get 10 percent of road transport fuels from renewable sources, such as biofuels, by 2020.

According to the Guardian, “biofuels are mainly produced from food crops such as wheat, maize, sugar cane and vegetable oils. The rush to grow crops for energy rather than food has pushed global food prices up by 75 percent; according to a confidential World Bank report published in Britain’s the Guardian newspaper last week.”

To read the entire article from the Guardian, link here:

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