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June 29, 2018 CapitalPress.com 5 FDA wants a re-do on ‘added sugars’ guidance Agency heeds honey, maple syrup farmers By DON JENKINS Capital Press Don Jenkins/Capital Press Water shoots from a sprinkler in southwest Washington on the first day of summer. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center says the odds favor a warm growing season followed by a warm winter in the Northwest as the ocean warms into an El Nino. Forecasters: Prospects grow for warm Northwest winter Hot, dry summer predicted By DON JENKINS Capital Press Chances are rising that next winter will be warm- er than usual in the Pacif- ic Northwest, the National Weather Service’s Climate Pre- diction Center reports. The outlook is largely based on the likelihood that the Pacif- ic Ocean will heat up to El Nino conditions by fall, according to forecasters, “Odds for above-normal temperatures continue to in- crease during the winter 2018- 19 from the Pacific Northwest east to the Northern Great Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley,” according to center’s new seasonal forecast. An El Nino generally brings warmer weather to the North- west, though the effect on summer water supplies has varied. A weak El Nino pre- vailed during Washington’s “snowpack drought” of 2014- 15. There was a strong El Nino the following winter, but the state’s snowpacks were nor- mal. Some forecasting models show sea-surface temperatures along the equator peaking at 1 degree Celsius above normal between November and Febru- ary, according to the prediction center. That would put the El Nino just into the “moderate” category. A La Nina — low- er-than-normal sea tempera- tures — prevailed last winter. The ocean has warmed to neu- tral conditions and likely will stay that way through the sum- mer, according to the center. The outlook for July, Au- gust and September favors above-average temperatures across most of the country. The odds are especially high for a warm summer in the Pacific Northwest and the Great Basin, including Idaho. Below-average precipita- tion is favored for summer for Oregon, Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. Northern California and the southern half of Idaho have equal chances of being wet, dry or average, ac- cording to the center. Energy regulators to consider new solar rules By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press The Oregon Energy Fa- cility Siting Council will be considering new rules to de- termine whether multiple so- lar power projects should be regulated as a single facility. The seven-member coun- cil decides whether to ap- prove the location of large power-generating facilities, including solar projects big- ger than 100 acres of farmland or 320 acres of other land. On June 29, the coun- cil is expected to appoint a “rulemaking advisory com- mittee” to consider whether several smaller solar proj- ects can “functionally ag- gregate” to become a facility that would otherwise come under its regulatory jurisdic- tion. For example: a developer with two separate projects, each encompassing 60 acres, on a 120-acre plot. Could that be considered one project subject to regulation? If so, the committee would recommend criteria to deter- mine whether multiple solar projects have crossed this threshold and whether specif- ic rules are necessary for such situations. Projects under the EFSC’s jurisdiction are reviewed for their impact on fish and wildlife, potential for noise, and effects on soil, among other factors. They’re also subject to bonding and insur- ance requirements to ensure money is available for their A rush of negative com- ments has the Food and Drug Administration rethinking how to explain what it means by asserting that pure honey and maple syrup have “added sugars.” The agency issued a state- ment Tuesday promising to “swiftly formulate a revised approach” to informing con- sumers that naturally sweet honey and maple syrup add sugar to diets — though no sugar is added to the prod- ucts. The FDA said it was a complex issue. “The agency looks for- ward to working with stake- holders to devise a sensible solution,” according to the statement. Beginning in 2020, pure honey and maple syrup nu- trition labels must have the word “added” in front of “sugar.” Farms and trade groups complain that cus- tomers will naturally think another sweetener is added to the natural sugars in honey and maple syrup. In what the FDA now describes as a “preliminary attempt” to the clarify the rule, the agency suggested footnotes on labels stating that the “added sugars” are natural. Honey and maple syrup farmers and trade groups said that would only add to the confusion. The FDA received more than 3,000 comments on the footnote suggestion. Almost all com- ments were sharply critical of the FDA and many were filed just before the comment period ended June 15. “The feedback that FDA Capital Press Maple syrup producers complain that a Food and Drug Adminis- tration labeling requirement will mislead consumers into thinking sugar is added to their product. The FDA said June 19 that it will work on trying not to confuse the public. has received is that the ap- proach laid out in the draft guidance does not provide the clarity that the FDA in- tended,” the agency said. Margaret Lombard, chief executive officer of the Na- tional Honey Board, said June 21 that she was thrilled by FDA’s decision to try again. The honey board submit- ted surveys to the FDA that suggested consumers think “added sugars” means hon- ey has been sweetened with something else. “People are very con- fused,” Lombard said. “We certainly don’t want to label honey as having ‘added sug- ar.’” FDA overhauled the rules for nutrition labels in 2016. The rules were originally scheduled to take effect in July, but FDA pushed the date back. Foodmakers with sales of more than $10 mil- lion are expected to have new nutrition labels by Jan. 1, 2020. Smaller foodmakers are expected to comply one year later. The FDA singled out hon- ey and maple sugar for the “added sugars” rule. Accord- ing to USDA dietary guide- lines some natural sugars, such as in fruit, are not “add- ed sugars” because those calories contribute essential nutrients to diets. The FDA will require cranberry juice and dried sweet cranberries to list “added sugars.” The cran- berry industry complained that the label would mis- lead consumers into think- ing cranberry products have more sugar than competi- tors such as apple and grape juices that are naturally sugary. Ocean Spray Cranberries supported FDA’s suggestion to explain in a footnote that sugar is added to sweeten tart cranberries. An Ocean Spray spokeswoman said Thursday that the farmers cooperative looks forward to working with the FDA. FDA gave no indication it intended to eliminate the re- quirement that honey, maple syrup and cranberry products inform consumers about the sugar the products add to di- ets. “It is important to FDA that consumers are able to effectively use the new Nu- trition Facts label to make informed, healthy dietary choices,” according to the agency. Capital Press File New regulations may be considered for multiple solar projects in Oregon that “functionally aggregate” to operate as one facility. eventual decommissioning. The “rulemaking project” is getting underway at a time of increasing scrutiny of so- lar projects on farmland in Oregon, with new proposals encountering opposition and county governments enacting restrictions on siting. Some of the controversy has centered on solar projects outside the Energy Facility Siting Council’s jurisdiction, such as a 70-acre project that’s being appealed in Clackamas County and an 80-acre project that was blocked in Jackson County. Two standalone solar proj- ects currently under consider- ation by EFSC are substantial- ly larger: one would top 5,000 acres while the other would be as large as 7,000 acres. Both are in Lake County in south- central Oregon. It’s currently an “open question” whether an addi- tional regulatory structure is needed for multiple facilities that aggregate into a larg- er project, with members of EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL the rules advisory committee likely having differing opin- ions on the issue, said Todd Cornett, Oregon Department of Energy’s assistant director for siting. A similar question arose in the past regarding wind ener- gy projects, but the issue nev- er led to a formal rulemaking process, Cornett said. Instead, wind projects are evaluated based on 15 ques- tions that probe proximity, ownership and other factors, with ODE offering an opinion on whether they would come under EFSC jurisdiction, he said. It’s not uncommon for de- velopers to adjust projects so they’re subject to regulato- ry processes that are seen as more advantageous, said Jim Johnson, land use specialist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture who’s involved in the solar issue. “Some people would argue historically that’s happened with a lot of land uses, not just solar,” he said. Linn County Fair & Expo Center • Albany, OR TUE • WED • THU NOVEMBER 13 • 14 • 15, 2018 OVER 350,000 SQ. FT. OF DISPLAY SPACE ADDED 20,000 SQ FT OF INDOOR HEATED SPACE LIMITED VENDOR SPACE AVAILABLE! CALL TODAY! Equipment Show Ag Show Season Kickoff 1-800-208-2168 26-2/100 26-2/102
