Baking&Snack - February 2012 - 117

ABA FTRAC Len Heflich

Q &A

Valerie Wayland
For Len Heflich, chairing the Food Technical Regulatory Affairs Committee (FTRAC) of the American Bakers Association (ABA), means there’s never a dull moment. In some cases, FTRAC members must batten down the hatches when the latest regulatory storm from Washington, DC, sweeps across the baking and snack industries. In other cases, FTRAC requests all hands on deck when responding to the latest proposals from the Administration or

Congress to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Federal Trade Commission or any of the federal and state agencies that govern or regulate nearly every aspect of how baking companies manufacture, package, distribute, market, merchandise and sell their products on a daily basis. This interview with Mr. Heflich and Valerie Wayland, a 15-year veteran of FTRAC, is part of an exclusive series from Baking & Snack on how ABA’s key committees affect its members’ bottom lines and why more bakers should become more involved in the association’s activities. For further information on ABA’s committees and their priorities, visit www.americanbakers.org.

More than a Full Plate
ABA’s FTRAC committee tackles a plethora of critical issues that influence how bakeries create and sell nearly all of their products.
Dan Malovany: What are the most significant critical issues for FTRAC in 2012, and why?
Len Heflich: Biotech wheat has to top the list for several reasons. Biotech wheat has the greatest potential impact on the baking industry — both good and bad. Good for crop yield, reducing the risk of crop failure due to drought or disease, availability, price stability, wheat competitiveness with other crops, enabling of no-till farming practices, reduced pesticide/fungicide use — and longer term, maybe even for improved baking quality attributes or true consumer benefits such as increased antioxidants, higher protein and more. These are big opportunities that will likely drive biotech wheat into the market whether our industry is ready for it or not. It’s bad because of the risks associated with introducing a biotech-sourced product when there are potentially consumers www.bakingandsnack.com who don’t want bread made from a biotech crop or because of foreign countries that do not allow for exporting of biotech crops to their countries. There is also the possible risk of a Starlink-type event with wheat and the inability to effectively segregate biotech from non-biotech wheat streams in commerce. Additionally, there are such issues as lack of consensus on allowable tolerance for biotech wheat in non-biotech streams, the increased cost of non-biotech wheat to those who want to avoid it and the inability of farmers to reuse seed, as they typically do. The issues are difficult, complex and coming at us quickly. Will we be ready? Valerie Wayland: At the top of the list is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Through new regulations and guidance, FDA has set an ambitious schedule for rolling out new requirements emphasizing food safety and security. With FSMA, we can expect new preventive controls, increased FDA inspections, increased enforcement authority granted to FDA and an increase in overall regulatory requirements for food manufacturing and food storage facilities. The passage of FSMA is just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s imperative that FTRAC works with FDA regulators throughout the rulemaking process. Obesity and health-related issues will also continue to be key concerns in the coming year. Against this backdrop, the baking industry must continue to bring awareness to the benefits of enriched grains and whole grains and their importance in the diet.

Why should bakers be involved in FTRAC, and how might their companies benefit?
Ms. Wayland: A key benefit is the collaborative approach to understanding and February 2012 / Baking & Snack / 117

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Baking&Snack - February 2012

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