FDA to Revise Spent Grain Proposal

After reportedly receiving more than 2,000 comments criticizing its
proposal to tighten regulations concerning the transaction of spent grain
between brewers and farmers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has apparently decided to revise its original plan, stating that it will release an
amended version of the proposal this summer.

According to news sources, brewers, who for years have donated or sold their
spent grain to farmers to use as animal feed, were outraged at the proposed
regulation—part of FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act—claiming it
would turn an ages-old practice into a heavy burden, requiring them to alter
processes and testing requirements and add additional recordkeeping tasks.
Brewers also note that under the currently proposed terms, they would either
be required to dry and package spent grain before sending it off as animal
feed or to discard it entirely, leaving it to sit in landfills. See VoiceofSanDiego.
org, April 3, 2014; BrewBound.com, April 4, 2014.

Issue 519