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May 9 - GROCERY MANUFACTURERS BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS
THEM: You know that the pace of hysteria has quickened over food and fuel. We have it on good authority that part of the reason is that the Grocery Manufacturers Association has kicked off a well funded aggressive campaign targeting food and fuel. It is our understanding that some of the key elements include:
1. Campaign is to run April through October. The kickoff was their April 4th press release broadside.
2. Initially funded at $5 million. We are told that API has joined up with
another $10 million making the total value $15 million.
3. The largest advertising agency in the world, with offices in New York and
DC got the job.
4. Four key objectives: - reverse the RFS; Eliminate the VEETEC
(ethanol tax credits); Lift the tariff and promote “cheaper Brazilian ethanol;” Eliminate all state mandates.
5. Tactics: Link Biofuels to food price increases and world starvation. They
visited all African Embassies and the Philippines and the EU in April; are building coalitions with domestic food banks and hunger groups; are engaging UN and other world food agencies. Putting these groups on
camera and in quotes. Take out our allies – like Deere and Monsanto, etc by painting them as benefiting from stock and price windfalls while people starve.
6. Editorial Board visits are well underway.
7. When asked why they are targeting Biofuels rather than oil, they admitted
that there were many causes of food price increases, but that Biofuels was a much easier target to show progress. GMA members want to show measurable results. Biofuels is low hanging fruit.
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