Lawmakers under the lead of Sen. Chuck Schumer are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to drop a proposed standard for food safety that could lead to price hikes on beer.
Farmers and beer brewers are especially concerned with the new rule that’s proposed for the Food Safety Modernization Act that would require spent grain to be transferred to animal feed manufacturers in dry form rather than wet. They say the extra step would prove costly, The Blaze reported.
As the FDA puts it, the grain byproducts sent from brewers to farmers would have to meet “proper drying and storing procedures to prevent mold growth and mycotoxin production.”
Scott Mennen, the vice president of brewery operations at Widmer Brothers in North Portland, told The Oregonian: “That would be cost prohibitive. Most brewers would have to put this material in a landfill.”
To recoup the costs associated with the new regulation, beer brewers would likely hike product prices to consumers, The Blaze said.
So Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, along with several of his legislative colleagues, have asked for the FDA to drop that standard. On board with Mr. Schumer are Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican; Rep. Peter DeFazio, Oregon Democrat; Rep. Ron Wyden, Oregon Democrat; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican; and others.
The rule is in the proposal stages only, but open to comment.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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