The government has published a new report on biofuels, warning on their impact on food prices.
The report from Ed Gallagher released on Monday found that biofuels have driven up world food costs because farmers give increasing amounts of land to biofuels.
Transport secretary Ruth Kelly told the Commons that the report had found that introduction of biofuels should be "slowed".
Kelly said it was important to "proceed cautiously" until it was certain that the expanded use of biofuels maximised the benefits and minimised the risks.
Speaking to the BBC, environment secretary Hilary Benn said that the government has no regrets on pursuing its biofuels policy.
Benn stated: "I don't regret that we are trying to find the right kind of biofuels because when you get onto the second generation of biofuels they will have something to offer in the fight against dangerous climate change.
"We just have to make sure that we are doing the right thing. And it is absolutely right and proper that the government should have said, 'let's have a look and make sure that the policy we are pursuing is the right one'.
"We should make sure that we are responding to the evidence and the science."
Benn added that a few years ago environmentalists supported growing biofuels as "the sensible thing to do".
"It now turns out it is slightly more complex," he added.
"What Ed Gallagher has been looking at is what should be the sensible policy going forward."
There has been some fear that without increasing biofuel growth, the government will not reach its 2020 EU target to produce 10 per cent of energy from biofuels.Stakeholder response: Campaign to Protect Rural England
Ian Woodhurst, CPRE's senior rural policy officer, said: "In CPRE's view, the targets for the introduction of biofuels should be put on hold. Further research is needed into the environmental effects of biofuels. We need to assess how much of our farmland can be used for bioenergy crops and then plan how to grow and process these crops in ways that do not damage the character of our countryside. Our landscapes and wildlife sites should not be put at risk."
