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Federal Nutrition Policy: What’s New and What’s Next?

Organizer: Janice Rueda, Ph.D., Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, IL U.S.A.
Co-Organizer: John Finley, Ph.D., USDA-ARS

Moderator: John Finley, Ph.D., USDA-ARS

Sponsoring Committee: Nutrition Committee

From product development to food labeling and health claims to marketing and education campaigns, federal nutrition policy impacts our food and nutrition landscapes in many substantial ways. The recent reauthorization of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act and the imminent release of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans make a conversation about these policy changes and their impacts especially timely. Please join our panel of experts for an engaging and informative exploration of the ways these new policy changes will impact the future development, availability and demand for grain-based foods

Panel Participants:

Marianne Smith Edge, Senior Advisor, Science & Consumer Insights, International Food Information Council & Foundation

Dr. Joanne L. Slavin, Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota

Kathy Wiemer, Senior Fellow, General Mills Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition

FSMA in Action

Organizer: Barbara B. Heidolph, Innophos, Inc., Cranbury Township, NJ, U.S.A.

Moderators: Barbara B. Heidolph, Innophos, Inc., Cranbury Township, NJ, U.S.A. and Gina Clapper, AOCS, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.

This hot topic session will look at current updates and implementation of FSMA.

  • FSMA-What Does it Mean – Rolando J. Gonzalez, The Acheson Group (TAG), Minnesota, U.S.A.      
  • Traceability: Implications for BRC Certified Millers – Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University, Ames, IA U.S.A.
  • Measurement Uncertainty / Specification Limitations– Terry Nelsen, Retired, Port Byron, IL U.S.A.
  • ISO 22000 Guidance Document Overview – A web-based tool from AACC I – Jennifer Robinson, Bay State Milling, Minneapolis, MN U.S.A.
  • How to Get Involved – Barbara B. Heidolph, Innophos, Inc., Cranbury Township, NJ, U.S.A.

CANCELED Grain Science for 2025

Organizers:  Dr. Charles R. Hurburgh, Jr. and Dirk Maier, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, U.S.A

In the fall of 2006, a little noticed event heralded a permanent and now unending change in the fortunes of grain-based agriculture.  The price of corn went up significantly and steadily several days in the prime days of corn harvest, when we would normally expect the lowest prices of the year.  Biofuels came online, at the time a 50% increase in demand over 2005 levels.  The strength of grain-based agriculture has not fallen back, neither domestically nor internationally.

This presentation will offer a new future vision for grain-based agriculture in general but also more specifically for grain science, grain handling and grain processing in the research, world outreach and student training areas.  Grain production is increasing steadily although the locations and types of grains are changing.  Greater resiliency and efficiency of corn is increasing calorie unit output per acre in many areas previously not adapted to corn. 

The challenges will be to minimize the worldwide losses of food grains, adapt corn processing to produce a variety of new products along with high levels of starch-based energy, and continue to reduce dependence on fossil fuels without jeopardizing food supplies.  This presentation will offer a new future in grain and cereal science beyond traditional food processing.

Session Presentation Areas {speakers – TBA}

  • World Grain production and production/preservation potential
  • Feed use
  • Fuel use and biofuel standards
  • Food use
  • The gaps and new directions for AACCI

Impacts of New Global Standards for DON on Management and Supply of Cereal Grains

Organizers:  Anne Bridges, AACCI, St Paul, U.S.A.; Andreia Bianchini, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE U.S.A; Glen Weaver, Ardent Mills, Omaha, NE, U.S.A.

Sponsoring Committee:  Food Safety and Microbiology Committee

The prevalence of mycotoxins in grains is usually associated with the occurrence of the causal organism for example the filamentous fungi fusarium and related causal factors, such as temperature and moisture. To minimize human exposure to contaminated grains regulatory agencies have established advisory levels, guidelines and regulations for various commodities and foods.  The maximum limits (MLs) should be adequately protective of health yet also practically achievable so that trade disruptions do not occur.

In response to the proposal at the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) to lower the MLs for deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin) in cereals a series of international discussions by both cereal grains and mycotoxin experts were started. These discussions provided the basis for a recent AACCI and NAMA led study. The study was published early in 2015 and the key results of the study were presented as comments to the 9th session of CCCF in March.

In agricultural commodities, the occurrence of DON has been reported globally, with levels varying among grain types and years of production. The grain supply chain, including growers, buyers, and end users, have effectively managed DON with strategies to control this issue systematically.  The safety of consumers is ensured through use of these management strategies.

The last year has seen governments around the world consider the balance between the toxicological /human health aspects in different population groups and the availability of sufficient good quality cereal grains. The impact of the proposed Codex ML’s has raised questions regarding availability of specific grains, in particular for soft wheat-based products in North America and for trading partners.

Session Presentations and Speakers  

  • Background on DON and global occurrence; Andreia Bianchini, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, U.S.A.
  • Canada - Impact on domestic supplies and trade; Sheryl Tittlemier, Canadian Grain Commission, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
  • USA wheat and milling practices (cleaning and distribution);  Benjamin Boroughs, North American Millers’ Association (NAMA), Washington, DC, U.S.A.
  • Update on the Codex status for DON and impacts on trade; Anne Bridges, AACC International, St Paul, MN, U.S.A. 
  • Discussion – where to from here?; Glen Weaver - Ardent Mills, Omaha, NE, U.S.A.

 

Wheat – A Nutritious Grain Over A Century of Plant Breeding

Moderator and Organizer:  Ravindra Chibbar, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Wheat is an essential part of the diet for people in most parts of the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, wheat provides more nourishment for humans than any other food source. For centuries, plant breeders of wheat and all other crops, have been constantly evolving plants to sustain the world's food supply by combatting losses due to diseases and unfavorable growing conditions caused by heat, drought, and saline soils. Recently, some have spun these efforts into the perception that plant breeders have made wheat unsafe. This session will present results from

long-term historical analysis of wheat breeding and genetic improvement in Canada, and grain constituent analyses in Canadian heritage and modern day wheat varieties.

Genetic gains in agronomic and selected end-use quality traits over a century of genetic improvement of Canada Western Red Spring Wheat.   PIERRE HUCL, Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

Grain mineral composition, and starch concentration, composition and structure in Canada hard red spring wheat over a century of wheat improvement.   SARITA JAISWAL, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada 

Grain protein concentration and composition in Canada hard red spring wheat over a century of wheat improvement.  UDHAYA KANNAN, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.