Milling & Baking News - July 27, 2004 - 12

W A S H I N G T O N

Grain-based foods foundation
selects Adams as president
Continued from Page 1
an excellent champion and leader for the
new foundation to carry forward its crucial messages."
Ms. Adams has a strong
background in nutrition education, ranging from assistant
professor at North Dakota
State University to nutrition
positions at the North Dakota
Wheat Commission and the
National Sunflower Association. She also owned her own
nutrition and marketing com- Adams

pany and was marketing director for the
Wyoming Department of Agriculture.
In addition to president of
the W.F.C., Ms. Adams has
been president of the N.D.
Dietetics Association and
secretary of the National
Society for Nutrition Education.
She is a member of the
American Dietetic Association, Society for Nutrition
Education, American Association of Cereal Chemists

House of Representatives passes food
allergen bill; awaits sign-off from President
WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of
Representatives last week passed a bill
providing for changes to the labeling of
allergens in foods, setting the stage for
sign-off by President Bush. The legislation would then take effect Jan. 1, 2006.
"N.F.P.A. applauds the House passage of this bill, which already has been
passed by the Senate," said John R. Cady,
president and chief executive officer,
National Food Processors Association.
"N.F.P.A. and a coalition of industry
groups worked closely with both the
House and Senate to provide input on
this legislation, and urged its passage.
While this legislation is not perfect, it is a
step forward for uniform, clear and consumer-friendly food allergen labeling. It
will protect the food-allergic consumer,

and assist their caregivers."
The legislation, known as the Food
Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, would require that food
manufacturers identify, in plain, common language, the presence of any of the
eight major food allergens (milk, eggs,
peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat
and soybeans).
The legislation also would require
food labels to indicate the presence of
major food allergens used in spices,
flavorings, additives and colorings,
which had previously been exempt from
allergen labeling. This closes a loophole
that puts people at risk from "hidden" or
undeclared ingredients.
In addition, the legislation would call
for improvements on the collection of

Court overturns new trucking rules,
complicating matters for industry
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia
threw a curve ball to the U.S. grainbased foods industry earlier this month,
overturning new regulations governing
the amount of time truck drivers may
operate their vehicles.
Beginning Jan. 4, the U.S. Department
of Transportation began allowing truck
drivers to operate their rigs 11 consecutive hours, one more than previously
allowed. But the new rule also required
drivers to stay off the road for 10 consecutive hours between shifts, two more
than the previous minimum.
The new rules, the first significant
change in hours-of-service rules since
the 1940s, also required truck drivers to
stay off the road after driving 60 hours in
a period of seven consecutive days or 70
12 / Milling & Baking News, July 27, 2004

hours in a period of eight straight days.
The three-judge appeals court called
the rules changes - debated vociferously
by safety, trucking and labor groups
- "arbitrary and capricious." The D.O.T.
claimed they would make roads safer, but
some safety groups said allowing drivers
an extra hour behind the wheel actually
would make roads less safe.
Whatever the case, Robb MacKie, vicepresident of government relations with
the American Bakers Association, said the
court decision has clouded the issue more
than ever for the U.S. baking industry.
"We are concerned with this decision, as many baking companies have
made significant investments to come
into compliance with the new rules,"
Mr. MacKie said. "We are working with
Congress and the Department on several

and the American Society of Association
Executives.
"Ms. Adams' knowledge of the industry and the members of that industry
will be an asset to the foundation," said
John Gillcrist, president, Bartlett Milling
Co., North American Millers' Association chairman and a foundation ex-officio trustee. "She will be able to hit the
ground running."
Earlier this month, the foundation
elected officers (see Milling & Baking
News of July 6, Page 10).
The foundation sprang from the
industry's effort to bring to the public
a unified message of the healthfulness
of grain-based foods. The effort is being
funded by several industry groups. MBN

food allergy data and would convene a
panel of experts to review food allergy
research efforts.
"The food industry has taken the lead
role on providing information on allergens in foods - in 'plain language' that
can be easily understood by consumers
- through the labels on food products,"
Mr. Cady said. "In 2001, N.F.P.A. and the
Food Allergy Issues Alliance - composed of industry associations and consumer organizations - created guidelines to help food processors diligently
inform food-allergic consumers about
the presence of major food allergens in
their products in clear, simple language.
"This legislation is another step in the
process of ensuring that food-allergic
consumers, and caregivers for those
with food allergies, are getting the information they need from the labels on food
packages." MBN

outstanding operational issues with the
new rule, but the new rules made bakers
re-examine their distribution systems to
increase efficiency and reduce costs - a
great potential benefit for the industry
and its customers.
"We will be closely examining the
court decision to determine the full
impact of the decision on the industry.
We are pleased that the court seemed
to recognize the need for more flexibility and rest breaks - points that A.B.A.
has been raising with the Congress and
D.O.T. - but are concerned that the
baby may have been thrown out with
the bath water."
Changes in the rule also will affect
entities involved in the transportation of
raw and processed grain, from farmers
to merchants to processors.
The D.O.T. now must decide whether
to appeal the decision or rework the
regulations. MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

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Milling & Baking News - July 27, 2004

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