Federal Minister: The ban on E10 petrol is good for food prices

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke wants to ban E10 petrol in Germany. According to Lemke, a ban on the fuel, which contains up to 10 percent ethanol, has a positive effect on the food supply and thus also on the price of your food.

E10 has been sold at all petrol stations in the Netherlands since October 2019. The petrol is the replacement for Euro95, which contained “only” 5 percent ethanol. Can’t your car handle 10 percent ethanol? Then you have to fill up with Euro98 E5 in the Netherlands.

Ban E10 makes groceries cheaper

If the federal minister has his way, it should no longer be possible to fill up with E10 petrol in Germany from 2030. The ban would have a positive impact on the availability and price of food.

But what exactly is that? The bioethanol in petrol is made from sugar cane, beets or corn – vegetable waste can also be used. According to the German minister, the crops can also serve as food for humans or animals. If this happens, food might become cheaper and there should be less hunger in the world.

Much criticism of the German Environment Minister

The goal of ‘less hunger in the world’ is of course super nice and cheaper food in times of inflation is also a very positive effect. However, there is also a lot of criticism of the statements made by the German minister. In 2019, for example, biofuels saved 7.8 million tons of CO2 in Germany. No more E10 means traffic emissions will rise again.

Germany’s ADAC, the German equivalent of the ANWB, says there’s a good chance petrol will become more expensive if E10 is banned. In Germany, petrol with ethanol is now about 0.06 euros per liter cheaper than fuel without additives.

E10 petrol bad for your car?

There has also been criticism of the E10 in the Netherlands for some time, especially from car enthusiasts. If you only want the best for your car, then E10 is not to be preferred. You can read about that and whether you can fill up with E10 in this background article on E10.