World Grain - September 2011 - 86

FEATURE: A VOICE FOR EUROPEAN FLOUR MILLERS

of climate change and the cost of getting new sustainable products onto the market may create plant health problems, particularly for crops grown on a small scale. The growth in the use of grains for fuel creates a further supply worry. “The European ﬂour millers are worrying about agricultural raw materials which are used for energy or non-food purposes,” said Reverdy. “We don’t know exactly to what extent it is having an effect. We suspect there is one. We see more and more studies saying that it has or it will have an effect on our raw materials.” The European Flour Millers Association has called on the E.U. to give priority to food in its reform. WORKING ON SAFETY ISSUES The association works closely with E.U. institutions, notably the Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission

and the European Food Safety Authority, on a wide range of safety issues. These issues include following up EFSA opinions on substances including cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

hygiene guide in 1994 and produced its document in 1998. Safety procedures are based on HACCP principles. At the international level, it has also observer status to the Codex Alimen-

“The European flour millers are worrying about agricultural raw materials which are used for energy or non-food purposes.”
— Laurent Reverdy, European Flour Millers Association

(PAH), where it challenged proposed limits as unnecessary, and collaboration with the University of Gent on ergot alkaloids monitoring at the E.U. level. It has its own safety standard, the European Flour Millers Guide of Good Hygiene Practice, which is accepted and used by the national ﬂour milling associations in the development of their own national sector guides. The association ﬁrst looked at developing a food

tarius Commission, and takes part to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) food standards activities. BREAD PROMOTION The E.U. ﬁnances promotion programs for agricultural products and food, inside and outside its borders. It can contribute up to 50% of the cost, with 20% coming from professional organizations and the rest from associations. There is an E.U.-subsidized promotion of cereal-based products on export markets, but they have never been listed as eligible for campaigns on the internal market. The European Flour Millers Association has been trying to get that changed and is currently involved in discussions with the unit at the European Commission that deals with promotion. The association has also lobbied with other PFP associations against the introduction of mandatory country of origin labeling for products from ﬁrst processors of agricultural commodities. The result was that in February E.U. ministers decided that the extension of the labeling requirements to single-ingredient products would only be possible after a feasibility study to be conducted by the European Commission within the next three years.
Chris Lyddon is World Grain’s European editor. He may be contacted at: chris.lyddon@ntlworld.com.
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