December 4, 2015
CapitalPress.com
ISU facility testing new
food-safety technology
By JOHN O’CONNELL
Capital Press
POCATELLO, Idaho —
An Atlanta-based company
recently finished build-
ing a $4 million electron-
ic linear accelerator test
and demonstration facility
at Idaho State University
to research a cheaper and
more effective method of
using the technology to im-
prove food safety and shelf
life.
Dolan Falconer, CEO
of ScanTech Sciences,
said the facility, housed
within the university’s
216,000-square-foot
Re-
search and Innovation in
Science and Engineering
Complex, uses a process
called electronic cold pas-
teurization to bombard food
with accelerated electrons.
ECP enables commodi-
ties to be harvested “at the
peak of ripeness” with a
long shelf life, while con-
trolling pests and destroy-
ing pathogens such as sal-
monella and E. coli without
the need for chemicals. ECP
has also inhibited sprout-
ing in potatoes by up to 18
months.
Similar technology has
been used in the medical
industry, and in food to a
limited degree by compa-
nies such as Schwan’s and
Omaha Steaks.
But ScanTech’s approach
to irradiating food is faster,
more effective and “orders
of magnitude” cheaper, said
RISE Complex director Eric
Burgett.
“We’re helping to engi-
neer and design much more
economic ways to do this,”
Burgett said, adding pro-
duce moves on a conveyor
during treatment at ISU’s
new research and develop-
ment facility at 60 feet per
minute.
Capital Press
EPA’s release on Monday
of its final volume require-
ment levels under the Renew-
able Fuels Standard program
for 2014 through 2016 is a
blow to U.S. chicken produc-
ers and a mixed bag for U.S.
corn producers.
The largest component of
renewable fuels is corn-based
ethanol, and the final levels
required to be blended with
transportation fuel are higher
than EPA’s proposed volumes
in June, yet not as high as
mandated by Congress.
The higher volumes will
increase the cost of feed to
poultry and livestock produc-
ers and raise the cost of fuel
and food to consumers, Na-
tional Chicken Council Pres-
ident Mike Brown stated in a
press release.
“Since the RFS was enact-
ed, chicken producers alone
have incurred more than $50
billion in higher actual feed
costs due to the ethanol man-
dates, and the tab keeps get-
ting run up under this broken
law,” he said.
On the other side of the
equation, corn growers are
pleased with the upward re-
vision but displeased that
volumes are not as high as
John O’Connell/Capital Press
ScanTech plans break-
ing ground on its first com-
mercial facility using the
technology within 14 to 18
months in McAllen, Texas.
The Texas plant will have
the capacity to process 10
to 20 truckloads of produce
per day, with the conveyor
designed to run at 120 feet
per minute. The location
was chosen based on the
high volume of food that
moves through that region
for international trade.
“We have taken that de-
vice and we have optimized
it for food,” Falconer said.
Burgett said ISU com-
menced pilot-scale testing
in 2014 and brought its
testing facility online a few
days ago. ISU will help re-
search treatment parame-
ters that maximize benefits
without impairing quality
for specific commodities.
Burgett said ISU students
will focus thesis work on
the technology, and the uni-
versity also plans to devel-
op a technician program to
train operators.
Falconer envisions the
technology will eventually
become the industry stan-
dard, and he anticipates ex-
panding to additional loca-
tions with port access, such
as Oregon or Washington.
“We believe the longterm
demand will be substan-
tial — that the technology
will be wanted by many in
the industry, so we’ll have
plenty of opportunities to
(expand),” Falconer said.
Falconer said the tech-
nology has already been
approved for use by USDA
and the major export mar-
kets. He said the company’s
first priority after forming
in 2009 was “getting the
government to approve the
treatment methodology here
in the U.S.”
EPA renewable fuel level mandates
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuels Standard
program requirements have direct economic consequences for
farmers and livestock producers.
Mandated by Congress
(Billions of gallons)
Item
2014
2015
2016
2017
Total renewable fuels
Conventional biofuel (corn)
18.2
14.4
20.5
15
22.3
15
24
15
Item
2014
2015
2016
2017
Total renewable fuels
Conventional biofuel (corn)
15.9
13.3
16.3
13.4
17.4
14
—
—
By fuel type
2014 †
2015 †
2016
2017
Cellulosic biofuel
Biomass-based diesel
Advanced biofuels *
Conventional biofuel (corn)
Total renewable fuels
0.03
1.6
2.7
13.6
16.3
0.12
1.7
2.9
14.1
16.9
0.23
1.9
3.6
14.5
18.1
n/a
2
n/a
n/a
n/a
EPA proposed, June 2015
† Levels
reflect actual amount of domestic use. *Includes cellulosic and biomass-based.
Source: EPA data compiled by Capital Press
Congress mandated.
EPA’s revision is a step
forward, but “any reduction
in the statutory amount will
have a negative impact on the
economy, the energy sector
and the environment,” Na-
tional Corn Growers Associ-
ation President Chip Bowling
said in a written statement.
Cattle producers aren’t
enthused by EPA’s decision,
as any increase in RFS lev-
els has the potential to distort
Capital Press graphic
prices. But it doesn’t change
the overall position of Na-
tional Cattlemen’s Beef As-
sociation, said Chase Adams,
NCBA director of communi-
cations.
“We have never opposed
ethanol production, only the
mandate. Anytime you have
the government picking one
user over another, you create
distortion in the price. We’ve
always advocated for a level
playing fields,” he said.
Brown said that in setting
the domestic mandates, EPA
did not account for the amount
of ethanol that is exported.
Exports divert additional corn
away from the domestic feed
and food market, he said.
Combined, 2014 and 2015
ethanol exports are likely to
divert the equivalent of an ad-
ditional 600 million bushels
of corn away from feed and
food use, in addition to what
is mandated by the RFS, he
said.
The corn ethanol mandate
at 14.5 billion gallons would
require more than 5 billion
bushels of corn, according to
the U.S. Cooperative Exten-
sion Service.
National Corn Growers
Association contends the RFS
has been one of the most suc-
cessful energy policies in the
U.S., benefiting the economy,
energy independence and the
environment.
The country should be
strengthening its commitment
to renewable fuels, not back-
ing down by reducing statuto-
ry levels in the RFS, Bowling
said.
“In light of EPA’s decision,
we are evaluating our options.
We will fight to protect the
rights of farmers and consum-
ers and hold EPA account-
able,” he stated.
Baby food company accused of mislabeling
Lawsuit claims
ingredients were
misrepresented
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
The Gerber baby food
company is accused of mis-
leading consumers by label-
ing a cereal snack with fruits
and vegetables that aren’t
contained in the product.
Nancy Henry, an Oregon
U.S. Food and Drug
Administration
seeks added
money for 2016
Capital Press
Final fuel levels scald chicken producers,
while leaving corn producers wanting
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Funding questions loom
over food safety overhaul
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Dolan Falconer, chief executive officer of ScanTech Sciences Inc., demonstrates how to treat produce
using a new electronic linear accelerator at Idaho State University’s RISE Complex, which his compa-
ny financed to research how to treat food with a process known as electron beam cold pasteurization.
His company already has plans to break ground on a commercial facility in McAllen, Texas, and ISU
intends to train personnel for the burgeoning industry.
resident, has filed a lawsuit
against Gerber and its parent
company, Nestle USA, alleg-
ing that they violated the Ore-
gon Unlawful Trade Practices
Act by misrepresenting the in-
gredients in its Gerber Gradu-
ate Puffs.
The lawsuit seeks class ac-
tion status and $200 in com-
pensation for every consumer
who bought the products, as
well as an injunction against
future mislabeling.
The plaintiff claims that
the Puff brands use the names
and images of sweet potatoes
and bananas while they actu-
ally contain only apple puree.
Similarly, the product
called Gerber Peach Puffs
contains less than 2 percent
peach juice concentrate, the
lawsuit alleges. “The Puff
products contain no dietary
fiber — a key substance found
in fruits and vegetables — and
contain vitamins only due to a
process of synthetic vitamin
fortification.”
Capital Press was unable
to reach an attorney represent-
ing Gerber and Nestle USA
for comment as of press time.
Litigation over food la-
beling has been skyrocketing
in recent years, according to
a study by Nicole Negowet-
ti, a law professor who has
studied the issue at Valparai-
so University Law School in
Indiana.
While only 19 such cases
were filed in 2008, that num-
ber had climbed to more than
100 by 2012, according to a
statistic cited in Negowetti’s
report.
17
PORTLAND — As the
U.S. Food and Drug Adminis-
tration prepares to implement
new food safety regulations,
questions linger about its abil-
ity to fully fund the strategy.
In 2010, when Congress
was debating the Food Safety
Modernization Act, the Con-
gressional Budget Office es-
timated that FDA would need
an additional $583 million
to enforce the law over five
years.
Since the statute was
passed in 2011, though, the
agency has received only
about $162 million, said Mi-
chael Taylor, its deputy com-
missioner for foods and veter-
inary medicine.
Now that key FSMA rules
have been finalized, the agen-
cy is asking Congress for
nearly $110 million to begin
compliance efforts in 2016,
he said at a Dec. 1 meeting in
Portland.
Without that level of fund-
ing, Taylor said he’d antici-
pate “delay and disruption” in
implementing the law.
“There’s only so much you
can squeeze,” he said. “We
have very hard decisions to
make.”
Even if FDA receives its
full request, that would still
bring total FSMA funding to
$272 million — less than half
of CBO’s estimated need for
five years.
However, Taylor said the
agency will likely be able to
implement the statute with a
lower funding level because
it’s realigning existing staff
around the law rather than re-
lying solely on new hires.
“We’re taking pains to do
this efficiently,” he said.
Most farmers’ interaction
with the new food safety sys-
tem will occur through state
agriculture
departments,
which are better equipped to
implement the law on-the-
ground than FDA, Taylor
said.
“We don’t have the re-
sources, we don’t have the
presence, we don’t have the
knowledge,” he said, adding
that state agencies will need
federal money to help imple-
ment FSMA.
“We can’t expect it to hap-
pen as an unfunded mandate,”
Taylor said.
Regulations implementing
FSMA are targeted at several
sectors of the food industry,
including farmers, manufac-
turers and foreign suppliers.
The FDA can’t prioritize
enforcing the rules for one of
these sectors without creating
an uneven playing field — for
example, if domestic produc-
ers were scrutinized more
closely than foreign suppliers,
he said.
“We can’t just fund parts
of FSMA,” said Katy Coba,
director of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture. “We’ve
got to have full funding to
make this work correctly.”
Gail Greenman, director of
national affairs for the Oregon
Farm Bureau, urged growers
attending the recent event to
contact their congressional
delegations to support fund-
ing for FSMA’s implementa-
tion.
“When that request comes
from the ground, from the
grower, it represents more
than anything we can do,” she
said.
It’s unclear exactly how
state agriculture departments
will carry out FSMA, but it’s
possible the FDA will estab-
lish cooperative agreements
with these agencies detailing
their duties to inspect farms,
said Stephanie Page, direc-
tor of food safety and animal
health at ODA.
ODA would like to learn
the specifics as soon as possi-
ble because the agency must
obtain authorization from the
Oregon Legislature for new
positions, even if they’re
funded with federal dollars,
Page said.
At this point, the National
Association of State Depart-
ments of Agriculture is devel-
oping a blueprint outlining a
possible cooperative structure
with the FDA, she said.
The blueprint will allow
state agencies to have an “off
the shelf” plan ready for when
funding does become avail-
able, Page said. “We’re trying
to be as prepared as we pos-
sibly can without taking on
unfunded work.”
Bayer CEO to address
FarWest conference
Ag departments
share complaint
response process
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
The head of Bayer Crop-
Science will address the
FarWest AgriBusiness Asso-
ciation’s annual winter con-
ference.
Bayer CEO James Blome
will speak during the con-
ference at noon Dec. 9 at the
Three Rivers Convention
Center in Kennewick, Wash.
The conference is Dec.
8-10 in Kennewick, Wash.
Bayer is involved with
pollinator issues, GMOs and
seed treatments. Blome is also
vice chair of CropLife Amer-
ica, the U.S. trade association
representing crop control and
pesticide manufacturers and
distributors.
Blome will provide an in-
dustry view, said Jim Fitzger-
ald, executive director of the
association, based in Spokane.
“How do we respond to
what some call social con-
science,” Fitzgerald said,
citing GMO and pesticide
concerns. “There’s fear and
apprehension, so how do we
satisfy that, put that into re-
lation with feeding the world
and feeding ourselves?”
The conference also in-
cludes a state pesticide com-
plaint and response panel at 8
a.m. Dec. 10. Representatives
from five departments of agri-
culture will share the response
process when members of
the public make a complaint
about a real or perceived
chemical application threat.
“The
full
gamut of pes-
ticide-related
complaints”
will be ad-
dressed, Fitz-
gerald said. “I
Fitzgerald think it’s going
to be helpful for
the people in our audience to
hear how that process goes.”
FarWest represents the fer-
tilizer and agriculture chemi-
cal industry in Idaho, Nevada,
Oregon, Utah and Washing-
ton.
“These are quite often
agronomists that work for re-
tailers who interface with cus-
tomers, who are the farmers,”
Fitzgerald said. “They do
everything from soil tests to
crop consulting — what kind
of fertility, pest control, how
to maximize yields.”
The conference includes
several course tracks, includ-
ing agronomics, new technol-
ogy, safety and regulatory re-
quirements, management and
a new track offered this year,
maintenance service. Ag-Tes-
ter representative John Dig-
nan will also speak.
“What happens if you have
a bad wiring harness or a short
circuit — how do you fix that,
how do you troubleshoot?”
Fitzgerald asked. “Once you
figure out the problem, how
are you going to source the
replacement parts? Equally
important is, how do you test
those new parts before you
go to all the trouble to in-
stall them? Before you plug
them in, you want to know
everything is operating as it
should.”
FarWest holds an addition-
al regional conference Jan.
12-14 in Twin Falls, Idaho.