Wheat growers are committed to ensuring that the U.S. food supply remains the safest, most affordable and most abundant in the world.

A number of scares in recent years in products ranging from pet food to favorite fruits and vegetables have caused many in the public and in Congress to call for a revamp of our nation’s food safety system. NAWG has been deeply engaged in these discussions to ensure any new or amended regulation of the food system makes sense for farm operators and will have a legitimate impact of the safety of our food supply.

Wheat Food Safety

The food safety risk posed by raw grains and milled cereal grains is extremely low. Almost all milled products are subject to a kill step such as baking, frying or cooking before being consumed. Unlike fruit or vegetables, raw grain or flours are not considered ready-to-eat products.

Pending Legislation

In July, the House of Representatives approved food safety legislation that will dramatically expand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over all aspects of the food system. Before passage, NAWG and coalition partners advocated for changes to the bill to ease the potential burden on grain farm operations, which pose extremely low risk to the health of the food system. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) was instrumental in pressing his Democratic colleagues to include language appropriate to individual agricultural production sectors, including grains.

Information for Consumers

USDA and other agencies have created a food safety online hub for consumers, available online at http://foodsafety.gov/. This Web site provides a variety of information about what is being done by the government and industry to keep food safe and about what consumers should do to ensure they are handling food properly.