NAMA News July 2010
Inside this Issue
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 L’Auberge Del Mar Resort in Del Mar, California, site of NAMA’s 2010 Annual Meeting. |
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Register now for NAMA’s 2010 Annual Meeting
Register today for NAMA’s 2010 Annual Meeting being held on October 14-16, at the L’Auberge Del Mar Resort in Del Mar, California. Registration forms, hotel information and a preliminary schedule are all available on NAMA’s web site at www.namamillers.org/2010_AM.html. To receive NAMA’s reduced group room rate, make your hotel room reservation before September 6, 2010. Of special importance on this year’s agenda is a dinner to honor retired NAMA President Betsy Faga. For more information please contact NAMA’s Director of Meetings & Communications Terri Long, tlong@namamillers.org or 202.484.2200 x 11.
NAMA welcomes Portco Packaging as associate member
NAMA is pleased to welcome Portco Packaging as a new associate member. Portco is a supplier of flexible packaging materials including but not limited to multiwall bags and printed laminated film packaging. Tracy Moore, sales representative, will represent the company in association activities.
Contact information is:
Tracy Moore
Sales Representative
Portco Packaging
3601 SE Columbia Way, Suite 260
Vancouver, WA 98661
360.624.5903/tmoore@portco.com
www.portco.com
NAMA president participates in wheat tour
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NAMA President Mary Waters participated in the Wheat Quality Council’s annual hard spring wheat and durum tour in North Dakota. The 54 tour participants included representatives from the government, universities, NAMA member companies, grain companies, bakeries, producers and journalists. Tour participants measured crop progress in 370 fields in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The results predict a yield of 46 bushels of Hard Red Spring Wheat –close to the 46.2 level of last year. The durum weighted tour average this year was 38.4 compared to 36.2 last year. (Pictured to the left are Ben Handcock, executive vice president, Wheat Quality Council; and Mary Waters, president, NAMA.) |
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The tour also visited the North Dakota Mill hosted by Vance Taylor. Pictured to the right is Vance Taylor, president and general manager of North Dakota Mill & Elevator with Mary Waters, president of NAMA. |
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NAMA urges FDA to reconsider interpretation of “transfer”
in the Reportable Food Registry
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Draft Guidance document seeking comments on certain aspects of the Reportable Food Registry (RFR)—including the interpretation of “transfer.” The current interpretation states that a transfer depends on a change of possession, ownership, or some other factor. In a letter submitted to FDA, NAMA urged consideration of an alternate interpretation, stating: “transfer [should include] consideration of whether there has been acceptance of a food by a receiving person, and a corresponding change in ownership and control of that food . . . [this] would facilitate the maintenance of longstanding commercial arrangements that are designed to maximize efficiency and productivity, particularly for smaller businesses, without diminishing FDA’s authority or ability to protect public health.” To read the letter in full, please visit www.namamillers.org/NewsArchives10/Comments_RFRJuly2010.html.
Urban Wheat Field coming to DC
The Wheat Foods Council is bringing the Urban Wheat Field to our nation’s Capitol the week of September 20th. The exhibit will include a baking station with demos by a master chef, a new nutrition area with registered dietitians available to answer questions, and scheduled tours/events for Capitol Hill staffers and legislators. The first Urban Wheat Field was held in New York City. The exhibit consists of a live wheat field approximately one-quarter acre in size, subdivided to show each growth stage of the wheat plant. The purpose of the program is to educate the public on the journey of wheat—from farm to fork. For more information on the Urban Wheat Field, please visit the Wheat Foods Council’s web site at, www.wheatfoods.org.
Revised guidelines for DON released
The Food and Drug Administration issued revised advisory levels for Deoxynivalenol (DON) in finished wheat products for grains and grain by-products used for animal feed. In particular, the guidelines state, “Recent studies demonstrate that higher levels of DON in feed for cattle would not appear to present an animal or public health hazard.” No changes were made in the guidance levels for human food. To view the new guidance document in full, please visit www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances.
NAMA supports grant proposal for wheat research
NAMA supports the grant proposal by the University of California, Davis’ for a new research project entitled “Improving barley and wheat germplasm for changing environments.” This project aims to apply “new technical innovations to wheat and barley breeding in the U.S. [and] . . . train a significant number of new plant breeders.” Projects such as this one are essential as wheat production acreage is being lost to corn and soybeans. Development of new ‘adaptable’ varieties is needed to increase the availability of wheat. The main goals of the project are “new gene discovery, high throughput genotyping, improved databases, and training graduate students.”
DeMarchi joins Wheat Growers
Jane DeMarchi has been selected for the position of Director of Government Affairs for Research & Technology for the National Association of Wheat Growers. She will be responsible for coordinating industry efforts related to the commercialization of biotech wheat, maintaining an inventory of public and private research, increasing federal wheat research appropriations and other policy efforts such as food aid and food safety.
Jane joined NAMA six years ago as Director of Government Affairs and quickly grew to play an important role on a number of significant policy issues for NAMA.
“It has been a pleasure to serve the milling industry. I will miss the friendship of my colleagues and the NAMA members who have mentored me over the last six years. I am looking forward to continuing to work on issues of importance to the entire wheat value chain,” states DeMarchi.
The NAMA Washington Office presented Jane with a crystal cereal bowl on her last day. It was filled with Cheerios since she will likely have to stick to Wheaties in her new position.
Grain Chain highlights enrichment benefits of refined/milled grains
A coalition of grain industry organizations, including the North American Millers’ Association, submitted comments to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) highlighting the fact that 95% of all refined/milled grains are enriched. The comments were submitted in response to the DGAC technical report published in the Federal Register last month. The comments recommended that the Guidelines should use the term “enriched” grains when referencing grains that are not defined as whole. Additional recommendations included:
- Continue use of the current guideline: “Make half your grains whole.”
- Reconsider the blanket recommendation to limit “refined” carbohydrates.
- Consider and support a voluntary, gradual and incremental approach to the reduction of sodium in foods that is mindful of functional properties and consumer preferences.
- Use sound science regarding added sugars.
- Continue to recommend physical activity.
To read the comments in full, please visit http://www.namamillers.org/NewsArchives10/Comments_DGAC_July2010.html.
Bread Art Project reaches 50,000 submissions goal
On June 27 the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) reached their goal of 50,000 submissions to the Bread Art Project. The project is an interactive online program where participants can create art on a virtual slice of bread. While navigating the program consumers read about the nutritional value of bread. For each piece of art created, $1 is donated to Share Our Strength (SOS). SOS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in the U.S. To create your own bread art, please visit www.breadartproject.com.
The GFF held its final media event for the Project with spokesperson and celebrity chef Melissa d’Arabian on June 8. The event was held at the Atlanta Community Food Bank with presentations from Melissa Harper and Sherry Harper, brand manager at Flower Foods. Media coverage of the project continues to increase.
Vote for How Wheat Works in USDA Contest
Wheat Foods Council has entered "How Wheat Works" in USDA’s “Apps for Healthy Kids” contest. In conjunction with the Let’s Move! initiative, USDA has challenged developers to create “innovative, fun and engaging software tools and games that encourage children directly or through their parents to make more nutritious food choices and be more physically active.” "How Wheat Works" is an interactive program that gives users the “farm-to-fork” experience of planting, harvesting, milling, and baking wheat. There are a total of 95 submissions competing for over $60,000 in prizes. Voting began on July 14th and will be open until August 14th. To learn more about the contest, please visit USDA’s site at www.appsforhealthykids.com.
White House ag advisor selected
David Lazarus has been selected as advisor to the President on agricultural and rural affairs. The position, which is part of the Domestic Policy Council, has been vacant for 18 months. At the time of his appointment, Lazarus was the senior advisor to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and a former agriculture legislative aide to Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). Lazarus has a strong background in food safety, having helped write the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510).
New bio bills introduced after Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court overturned a decision prohibiting the partial deregulation of Roundup Ready Alfalfa (RRA) as well as the planting of RRA until the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completes an Environmental Impact Statement. “The Supreme Court held that the district court abused its discretion in the remedies that it crafted for APHIS’s violation, and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings which could yet result in a complete or partial deregulation of RRA.” Subsequently, numerous bills have been introduced addressing the issue of development, marketing, and labeling of bioengineered foods. These include the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act, The Genetically Engineered Safety Act, and the Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act. Please visit NAMA counsel Ricardo Carvajal’s FDA Law Blog for more information, www.fdalawblog.net.
Conference calendar
2010 Annual Meeting, Del Mar, CA
L'Auberge Del Mar Resort
October 14-16, 2010
2011 Division Meetings, Marco Island, FL
Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa
March 12-14, 2011
2011 Annual Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO
The Broadmoor Colorado Springs
October 6-8, 2011
2012 Division Meetings, Naples, FL
Naples Grande Beach Resort
March 10-13, 2012
2012 Annual Meeting, Asheville, NC
The Grove Park Inn
October 25-27, 2012
The North American Millers' Association prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital or family status, age, disability, political beliefs or sexual orientation. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact NAMA at 202.484.2200 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to Mary Waters, President, 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 825W, Washington, DC, 20024 or call 202.484.2200 ext. 12. NAMA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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