DENVER, Colorado – Although Ardent Mills flour, ingredients or facilities were not part of a recent peanut contamination recall, the premier flour and ingredient company initiated a two-day summit to help key peanut and wheat industry entities grapple with potential root causes and activate several important work streams to mitigate peanut allergen threats to consumers.
"Ardent Mills brought together leaders in the milling, peanut and wheat industries, scientific experts, allergen testing and consumer product associations for this pivotal meeting,” states Ardent Mills CEO, Dan Dye. “All attendees came prepared to share their concerns, identify best practices, outline opportunities for change and explore ways to dramatically reduce the potential for undeclared peanut allergen residue in wheat flour.”
Summit participants identified the following work streams for follow-up this summer and fall:
1) Mapping of peanut and wheat movement from farms via truck and rail to distribution points such as shelling facilities, grain elevators and mills and then beyond to food manufacturers, bakeries or other wholesale or retail sales to consumers.
2) Working with the American Association of Railroads to identify mitigation steps that can be implemented in the rail transportation of the commodities of peanuts, wheat and other grains.
3) Identifying standards for cleaning of transportation equipment that carry these commodities by rail and truck.
4) Optimizing mill industry cleaning house operations and implementing new technologies to sort and clean grains.
Many public and private sector organizations representing both the peanut and wheat industries participated in the summit, including:
- Food Allergen Research and Resource Program (FARRP), University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- Grocery Manufacturing Association and task force members
- North American Milling Association
- International Association of Operative Millers
- (Trucking) Schwend Inc.
- (Railroads) Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Union Pacific
- (Grain origination) Cargill Incorporated, CHS, Inc.
- (Peanut industry) American Peanut Shellers Association, Georgia Department of Agriculture,
University of Georgia
- (Milling industry equipment) Buhler
- (Allergen detection) Neogen Corporation
About Ardent Mills
Ardent Mills is the premier flour-milling and ingredient company whose vision is to be the trusted partner in nurturing its customers, consumers and communities through innovative and nutritious grain-based solutions. Ardent Mills' operations and services are supported by more than 40 flour mills and bakery-mix facilities along with a specialty bakery and Mobile Innovation Center, all located in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Deeply rooted in communities throughout North America, Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and employs more than 100 certified millers, supporting thousands of local jobs and contributing billions of dollars to local economies.
To learn more about Ardent Mills, visit ardentmills.com.
Source: Ardent Mills
