29/10/13: New! GFMT article: Traceability in the food and feed supply chain

In this article, Chris Knight, head of agriculture, Campden BRI, UK discusses traceability in the food and feed supply chain. 

Traceability identifies the path from where a product originated to where it has been supplied, and consists as a series of interlinking chain of records either between process steps in an individual food (or feed) business operation and/or between different stages in a food supply chain.

Read the full article here. 

The requirements for traceability apply  to any business that trades in food at all stages of the food chain.

Updated grain sampling guide from HGCA

Research and development company HGCA has published an updated grain sampling guide. The guide consolidates information from a range of existing publications into one publication, highlighting the best practices from across the supply chain.
 

The new guide, which has been endorsed by industry organisations including AIC, MAGB, nabim, NFU, NFUS, Red Tractor Assurance, TASCC and UFU, covers recent developments in protocols as well as the essentials of when to sample and how to do it. 
 

“For growers, knowing the quality of your grain is essential so that you can store it then sell it effectively, and get the best return for your work,” says  Jonathan Tipples, HGCA chairman,. “But the new guide is not just for growers. It has been drawn up with support across the supply chain, so it sets a benchmark for good sampling practice from the field to the weighbridge,” he added. 

The right equipment is crucial for grain sampling

The new guide highlights four key points for sampling grain. The first is to know the harvested quality so that growers can dry and cool the grain as necessary and identify potential buyers.

Protecting the harvested quality is the second stage. Stored well, grain quality should not deteriorate but store managers need to be on the look-out for any early signs of spoilage or infestation.
 

Thirdly, when grain leaves the farm, it is important to get a sample of what is loaded onto the lorry. This provides a record of what has been sold and can show that the grain meets specifications. In addition, farm assurance schemes often require this type of sample to be retained to ensure traceability in the supply chain.
 

The final stage for sampling is at commercial intake where buyers use automated equipment to take samples from lorries as they come in. These samples are used to confirm that the grain meets the specification and also to inform decisions about further processing.  

Taking a representative sample

HGCA has also updated its poster ‘Inspecting grain for defects and impurities.’ Guide and poster available here.
 

Come and see HGCA’s interactive grain sampling display at this year’s UK Grain event on 6 November!

 

27/09/2013: Wheat port access approved by ACCC; USA and Japan organic trade partnership; land management practices

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accepted Emerald Grain’s wheat port access undertaking agreement after feedback from industry counterparts.

“Emerald Grain is in favour of competition at ports and in the Australian grain market. Competition at Australian ports and grain storage facilities means a better return for Australian growers,” said John Warda, Emerald Grain Group general manager supply chain & operations.

The new undertaking will be in place from October 1, 2013.

Read more...

The United States and Japan have announced that as of January 1, 2014, organic products certified in Japan or in the United States may be sold as organic in either country.

This partnership will give US farmers' and processors' the opportunity to access the growing Japanese organic market, adding to a growing organic industry and supporting job creation and business growth globally.

Read more...

A report conducted by the international Economics of Land Degradation initiative states that the economic value of global land is undervalued and commonly determined by immediate agricultural or forestry market values.

There are several ways to combat land degradation, including reforestation, sustainable agriculture and establishing alternative non-agricultural livelihoods (i.e. eco-tourism). 

The report suggests that if agricultural land productivity remains at its current levels, an estimated 6 million hectares of land (roughly the area of Norway) would need to be converted to agricultural production every year until at least 2030 to satisfy growing demand.

Read the full report here. 

Grain silo, Eidsvoll, Norway. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Event: Roger Gilbert chairs technology session at 6th Protein Summit

Roger Gilbert, publisher of Grain and Feed Milling Technology is chairing the technology track of the 6th Protein Summit in Rotterdam, the Netherlands this afternoon.

Roger will be looking at drivers for change with new enabling technologies in the food and protein industries. On the first day, the programme will explore ‘Change happens by us’. As consumers can vote for change with our wallet for us, our children and parents and there will be different presentations in this field this afternoon:

What can we do with our food choices for perishable, chilled foods and how can venture capital help? Mr Koen van Engelen, who is partner at Anterra Capital, will talk about of the investments in companies who can make a difference in the supply chain with new technologies or products.

Mr Koen van Engelen

Another presentation is this domain is by Marcel Minor of Wageningen University. He will inspire us with what is going on in our society from a NGO, retail, government, research, manufacturers, city policies and waste companies and regulatory point of view in reducing food waste. Do we have a protein supply problem in the future or not?

Marcel Minor

New technologies are already available to reduce waste in the fish industry. Leading membrane technology company. Koch Membrane Systems has worked with research institutes and food manufacturers on capturing healthy ingredients from fish waste. Also here co-innovation and creation are key to success. We cannot make all these thing happen fast without using the experience of other parties in the value chain. Kamla Jevons, will present her case to us.

Kamla Jevons

Cereal grain scientists to present new research at AACC international meeting

Cereal grain scientists from around the world will gather in Albuquerque, New Mexico from the 29th September - 2nd October 2013 for the AACC International Annual Meeting. 

This event is expected to attract as many as 1,100 of the world’s cereal grain scientists representing a broad range of expertise working in academia, industry, and government.

David Hahn, AACC international president, Koushik Seetharaman, program chair and the 2013 Annual Meeting Technical Program planning committee have put together an outstanding scientific program, including 23 special and oral technical sessions on today’s most relevant cereal grain topics and critical issues, such as wheat improvement in the 21st century, value-added processing of oats and barley, and designing safe grain-based food products.

In addition to the symposia and oral technical sessions, AACC International is introducing a new series of two-hour sessions entitled "Conversations That Matter," encouraging greater interaction and discussion between presenters and the audience. AACCI's current topics affecting the industry are "The Formulation of Healthy Food," "The Issue of Gluten-Free Products," "The Measurement of Dietary Fiber," and "The Perception of Whole Grain Foods."

Some scientists believe that food containing wheat, sugar, and carbohydrates are detrimental to optimum brain functionality. In the Hot Topic session entitled "Grain Brain for Grain Brains: A Look at Grains and Cognition, Dementia, and Mental Health," Julie Jones, from the Department of Family, Consumer & Nutritional Science at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, will test the strength of these arguments against existing literature on grains and carbohydrates.
The second Hot Topic session led by Anne Bridges, AACC International, and Ray Shillito, Bayer CropScience, addresses the challenge of how to feed the future world population. An important part of this challenge is improving the nutritional composition, quality, and quantity of food from agricultural sources. “Sustainability, Genetics, and Future Cultivars” will provide an overview of current breeding technologies for grains and oil seeds, new crops, potential food benefits, and the corresponding updates in molecular detection methods to manage authentication in the food supply chain.

More information.


 

Official seal of City of Albuquerque (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

02/09/2013: Fortification of grain to curb anaemia; grain distribution starts in Delhi; Cargill's corporate responsibility report

According to news information service allAfrica, nutritionists in Tanzania are supporting a recent study that demands the mandatory fortification of some cereals to lead to the near eradication of anaemia.

Speaking exclusively to a local Tanzanian newspaper,  Dr Joyceline Kaganda, training director, Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) Department of Nutrition Education stated that anaemia is a big problem, especially in children under five and women of child bearing age. 

"Based on the poor nutrition situation Tanzania is facing, there is a great need for mandatory fortification on some cereals," added Kaganda. 

Read more...

As of September 1, 2013, the Food Security Programme formally began the distribution of food grains in New Delhi.

Sheila Dikshit, chief minister of New Delhi, distributed the food grains to the beneficiaries around the region. The scheme was originally launched on August 20th by Sonia Gandhi, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson.

Read more...

Cargill has released its 2013 Corporate Responsibility Report entitled “Responsibility Across Many Dimensions.” It features Cargill’s actions to meet and exceed the expectations of its stakeholders by conducting business with integrity, operating responsible supply chains, working to feed the world and enriching our communities.

“Cargill’s vision to be the global leader in nourishing people gives a framework to all our actions. Whether it is storing crops and minimising spoilage; championing the use of practices that protect the environment; responsibly sourcing commodities; developing supply chains that respect people and human rights; or living up to the ethical standard we have set for ourselves - these are just a few examples of Cargill’s responsibility across many dimensions,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer.

View an expanded version of the report here.

A spoon containing breakfast cereal flakes, part of a strawberry, and milk is held in midair against a blue background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Event: Oilseed and Grain Trade Summit - join top executives from across the agribusiness value chain

From the supply chain and storage to transportation, processing and trading, join global industry leaders and top international commodity buyers and sellers at this year's Oilseed and Grain Trade Summit. 

Explore the Exhibit Hall and experience on-the-spot trading! The Oilseed and Grain Trade summit has already attracted more than 100 sponsors and exhibitors.

For a full list of sponsors and exhibitors, click here.

The Oilseed and Grain Trade Summit takes place on the 21-23rd October 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis, USA.

More information...

Join Industry leaders and buyers at this year's Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit

Event: New sessions at Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit

A fourth track session has just been added to the agenda for the 8th annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit, which will be held October 21-23, 2013 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minnesota.

Rounding out the comprehensive agenda that covers key topics addressing opportunities and challenges across the oilseed and grain sectors, the new track, offered on the last day of the summit includes: 

- Overview of legislative and regulatory trends that will affect futures trading
- Legal perspective on impending changes in the regulations affecting futures trading
- How regulatory changes will affect futures execution and compliance
-Implications of impending changes in futures regulations and compliance on the supply chain

Additionally, developments in Brazil, Canada and China will be discussed in detail, including how initiatives in Brazil are turning the country into an agricultural powerhouse; how the expansion of crop production and increasing exports out of Canada are affecting relationships along the value chain; and what impact the continued growth in demand for oilseeds and grains in China is having on global trade flows.

"This new track will complement the in-depth information available at the summit, which in addition to focusing on the international trade of agricultural commodities, also facilitates a high-level dialogue on the most critical issues facing the oilseed and grain production and processing industries," said Mark Dineen, summit event director, HighQuest Partners.

The event will feature more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors, and registration includes industry tours, this year sponsored by CHS Inc. and SunOpta, for those interested in seeing the US grain processing and transportation infrastructure in action. 

Attendees to the summit will join hundreds of key decision-makers from around the world - the 2012 event included those from 38 states and 40 countries - in the commodity supple chain, including oilseed processors, vegetable oil refiners and market players in the feed grain sector (including corn, DDGS, wheat, oats and barley). 

Click here for more event details.
Register using code: OGTS-PR6 for a 10 percent discount! 

8th annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit

New! GFMT article: Port news round up

Ports play a huge role in the grain supply chain.
We round up the biggest stories of the last few months.

Read the article here.

Ports news

You can also read the full issue online here.

05/04/13: Food safety in South East Asia; damaged feed and digestibility; CME grain trading hours cut

Food safety and traceability are becoming as important as quality and price in South East Asia, according to one of the region's biggest flour milling organisations. In an interview with ABC Rural, Alex Lee Kim Teck, CEO, Interflour, Malaysia describes the growing focus on a transparent supply chain.

Listen to the interview...

Storing and protecting feed properly is essential for any successful farm. If not stored properly, the quality can deteriorate rapidly. This article looks at the effects of heat damaged sunflower meal and cotton seed meal on amino acid digestibility in pigs.

Read more...

CME, the owner of world's largest grain trading market, will cut its grain trading hours next week in response to customer demands. From next week, electronic trading will be reduced from 21 to 17 hours a day from 5 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday to Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Buyers had complained that long trading hours reduced liquidity and weakened enthusiasm.

Read more...

Grain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

12/02/13: High feed prices affect UK farmers; US wheat supply; IMEF scholarship announced

Farmers in the south west of the UK are facing a tough start to the new year due to bad weather and high feed costs reports Farming UK. Wet weather means cattle are spending longer indoors and diets have to supplemented with expensive feeds.

There has also been less revenue coming into the UK from farming, with poor forage being blamed for falls in milk yields and beef farmers struggling to produce cattle at their finished target weight.

Read more... 

This article looks at wheat supply issues in the USA. Following the 2012 drought and poor weather this year, the supply chain is under pressure. Kim Anderson from Oklahoma State University forecasts that the problem could last until September 2013 with prices dropping by 50 cents a bushel.

Read more...

The first recipients of the International Milling Education Foundation (IMEF) Scholarship Program for Professionals have been named as  Dan Ramseyer, Benjamin Ruch and Julie Wavinak . The scholarships will provide tuition for all three professionals to take the IAOM Correspondence Course in Flour Milling over the course of the next two years.

IMEF is the philanthropic partner of IAOM. The IMEF Scholarship program was established in 2008 to support the education of undergraduates in the sciences of grain milling. In 2012, the program was expanded to include training opportunities for professionals already working in the industry.

Read more...

Cattle (Photo credit: CameliaTWU)

Farming Today This Week, BBC Radio 4: barley

Last Saturday I happened to be up at 6.30 am.  Bleary eyed and definitely feeling my best, I flicked on the radio and was lucky enough to catch Farming Today This Week on BBC Radio 4.   The programme was a barley special and included lots on interesting information about the barley supply chain.  The relationship between farmers, millers and maltsters was particularly fascinating and really shed light on the various demands and pressure son each stage of the chain

If you're in the UK, you can listen again here but hurry, it'll only be online for a few more days.

BBC Radio 4 mug (2009) (Photo credit: radiothings.com)

Cargill completes purchase of Provimi

Cargill has completed the purchase of Provimi, a global animal nutrition company to the value of €1.5 billion ((US$2.1 billion). The merger will bring together the complementary animal nutrition expertise and operations of the two companies. Cargill’s expertise in compound feed, supply chain and risk management will come together with Provimi’s wide range of nutritional expertise, technology and portfolio of premix, additives and ingredients. Cargill’s new animal nutrition business will be led by Ton van der Laan Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers.

Chinese leading feed companies take steps

Chinese leading feed companies have agreed to take steps to substantially improve the feed safety control, in accordance with the highest international standards. The initial steps will be to improve feed safety assurance in pre mixture and compound feed production. This will then be extended to the whole feed supply chain, from manufacturing to transport and storage. A joint program will be defined in co operation with GMP plus international. These new regulations were established by the Chinese Minister of agriculture and the feed companies want to comply with the new feed regulations. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers.

Fertiliser supplies get tighter ahead higher prices

Come this fall the price of fertilisers will go higher, “We ended the season with perhaps the lowest supply of potash, urea, and very little phosphate, that I’ve ever seen,” says Frick chief operating officer at Frisk Service. “Most of the rest of the world does not practice good agronomics compared to the states,” says Frick. India’s yields are 20 percent lower than the US due in part because of poor fertility practices. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

People: AB Vista appoints new supply chain manager

AB Vista, a leading international supplier of new generation micro-ingredients for the animal feed industry, has strengthened its supply chain team with the appointment of Debbie Webber as Supply Chain Manager.

§Debbie, who currently manages the AB Vista Customer Service department, has taken the role of Supply Chain Manager, where she will work closely with AB Vista’s supply partners to ensure that growing customer demand for its market-leading portfolio of products is fulfilled. In her new role Debbie will also be responsible for managing and maintaining a close liaison with AB Enzymes and AB Mauri, which produce Econase, Finase, Quantum and Vistacell. Read more ...


This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Cargill’s Amsterdam soya plant gets EFISC certification

The European Feed Ingredients Safety Code (EFISC) has approved Cargill soya plant for crush and refining in Amsterdam for EFISC certification. The plant is producing about 170.000 tons of feed materials annually and is as such a major player on the feed material market. The certification resulted from an audit conducted by the certification body SGS.

“As a global and regional producer of feed materials Cargill is fully committed to the implementation of European feed safety schemes in the EU. The EFISC scheme, based on the European Guide for safe feed materials endorsed by the European Commision and EU Member States, provides us with a harmonised, high quality standard for feed safety across the EU in an open, transparent and non- discriminatory matter". Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Zagro’s Successful Exhibition @ VIV Asia 2011

Bangkok, March 9-11, 2011- Zagro and its animal health sales and technical team of 38 personal celebrated a remarkable success as they exhibited at the 3 day international trade show for animal production and processing, VIV Asia 2011, at BITEC, Bangkok.

This large scale exhibition offered plenty of opportunities to the entire feed to meat supply chain, where it attracted a record number of 28,978 visitors this year 2011. Zagro’s booth ideally located at hall three, booth A014, was flocked and filled by visitors for the three day event. Zagro sent out their gratitude to all the visitors, customers and exhibitors likewise, who took the time to visit their booth.

Mr Poh Beng Swee, CEO and Chairman of Zagro Asia a strong believer in networking and contact recommendation, mentioned in the post-exhibition message that was sent out to their booth visitors, “should opportunities arise that you may become our partner in this vision, whether as a solution provider or as our customers, we would be more than delighted to strengthen the relationship and are looking forward to be in touch with you. We believe Zagro’s product range is wide enough to be able to meet most of your requirements. Should it not cater to what you need we’d appreciate introductions to your contacts who may find our solutions beneficial.”


Zargo believes that biennial event contributes a significant role as Asia’s demand in livestock farming continuously expands hence the decision to officially register’s as exhibitor for the VIV Asia 2013. Zagro hopes to see you there!


This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Novus International awarded AFIA IT Innovation Award

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has handed out its first AFIA Information Technology (IT) Innovation Award to feed ingredients supplier Novus International. The runner-up was awarded to Feed Energy Company of Des Moines, Iowa.

In 1993, Novus pioneered a vendor-managed inventory for bulk liquid feed ingredients with the introduction of a patented automated remote monitoring system known as AIMS. This system provided improved inventory management of Novus’s bulk liquid ingredients via the telecommunications system.

In 2009-10, Novus upgraded the AIMS infrastructure by incorporating the latest satellite communications and remote monitoring technology throughout its bulk liquid product supply chain. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

Fefac announces action plan dioxin control

The European feed manufacturers association Fefac has announced the development of a dioxin testing protocol for the EU feed fat supply chain and calls for specific approval conditions for fat blending plants. Fefac President Patrick Vanden Avenne confirmed the European compound feed industry “two pillar” action plan to tackle dioxin contamination risks linked to the feed fat supply chain which was submitted at the 2nd European Commission briefing for the EU feed fat chain partners:

   1. Pillar 1: Development of a testing protocol for a structured dioxin monitoring plan of the feed fat supply chain at EU level before the end of the month.
   2. Pillar 2: Review of the registration, i.e. approval requirements for fat blending businesses under the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (EC) No 183/2005.

Vanden Avenne said that “although the German authorities consider fraud at the fat blending plant which mixed technical fats in feed fats as the most plausible road of the contamination, we, as customers, must take all necessary and effective action which can help preventing such incidents in the future”. “In our view, this would require a combination of an industry-own structured monitoring plan and specific legal requirements for the approval of fat blending plants, which currently only have to be registered under the EU Feed Hygiene Regulation”. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.