Is ethanol using up corn that should be used for human food?
In the so-called “food vs. fuel” debate, one major misconception is that the majority of the corn grown in the U.S. goes directly for human consumption. This is not the case. Actually, only about 9 percent of U.S. corn is used for human consumption in products like cereals, sweeteners, etc. The main uses for U.S. corn are for livestock feed or for export, with the industrial uses category (including ethanol) making up a smaller percentage. As ethanol refining switches from corn-based processes to cellulosic, this debate will no longer be relevant.
