Milling & Baking News - November 7, 2017 - 7

Editorial

Millers confront opportunities for bold action

opics on the agenda of the North American Mill- NAMA annual meeting was cast as a preliminary backers' Association annual meeting this year were grounder. Given the complexities of grain-based foods
familiar. Food safety, product promotion, dwin- relative to other industries with checkoff programs, milldling wheat plantings and Kansas State University have ers and bakers would be wise to tread cautiously in exbeen important issues for years if not decades. At this ploration of what would be a tremendous commitment.
year's gathering in Dana Point, Calif., the subjects took Still, the unending and unparalleled attacks directed to
on truly oversized importance. How milling responds flour-based foods, disappointing consumption trends
will help shape the industry's future in critical ways.
and the extraordinary potential voice that may be gained
In the case of food safety, the millers were grappling with the help of a checkoff program mandate the most
once again with the ripple effects of product recalls serious possible consideration of this gutsy proposal.
over the past two years related to the detection of E.
While planted wheat area has been trending downcoli and allergens in flour or flour-based products. The ward for decades, declines have accelerated in recent
millers are addressing these threats in several ways. years. Frustrating to the millers were remarks by a
For pathogens, NAMA is focused on consumer educa- prominent wheat breeder describing impediments to
tion about the safe handling
the introduction of improved
The monumental, game-changing
of raw flour, dough and batwheat varieties. Peggy Lemaux,
scope of ideas under consideration
ter, and member companies
a professor at the University of
represents an extraordinary
are in pursuit of technologiCalifornia, Berkeley, described
cal breakthroughs that ideally
opportunity for the industry.
how research at her univerwould eliminate the problem
sity and others have generated
altogether. For allergens, particular attention is being breakthroughs like sprout resistance. She lamented that
devoted to flaws in the Food Safety Modernization the path to commercialization has been impeded by
Act that fail to hold transportation carriers responsible government regulations and the inability of academic
for communicating with millers what products were institutions and commercial seed companies to work
hauled on prior loads.
together.
Added to the food safety agenda recently are issues
Finally, the relationship between NAMA and the Derelated to the chemical glyphosate. While used most- partment of Grain Science and Industry at Kansas State
ly as a herbicide in connection with Roundup Ready University has experienced more than a few ups and
crops, glyphosate also is used as a pre-harvest desic- downs over the past 25 years but perhaps never has
cant by a small percentage of wheat growers. Most been stronger. Enrollment figures described by Gordon
governmental health agencies have concluded it does Smith, Ph.D., the department head, were impressive.
not pose a risk to humans, but California has proposed More tantalizing was the vision for future collaborarequiring Proposition 65 warning labels for glyphosate. tion at an increased level between K.S.U. and the millThe millers rightly are anxious to avoid the mandatory ers described by Dr. Smith. In addition to the installaappearances of such warnings on flour-based foods.
tion of a specialty mill in the Hal Ross mill, he raised
Over NAMA's and the Millers National Federation's the possibility of adding a researcher to find ways to
history, product promotion has ebbed and flowed as optimize further the milling process.
a topic of attention. For more than a decade, the Grain
Whether a wheat researcher joins K.S.U., breeding reFoods Foundation has been milling's and baking's princi- search turns more readily into commercial varieties or
pal vehicle for defending the integrity and healthfulness grain-based foods adopts a checkoff program remains to
of flour-based foods in the diet. After several years of flat be seen. But the monumental, game-changing scope of
demand, though, the industry is exploring a dramatic ideas under consideration represents an extraordinary
expansion in its commitment to product promotion - opportunity for the industry and affirms that with bold
the initiation of a checkoff program. A presentation at the action, a bright future is within reach for milling. MBN
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