APC NewsletterFebruary 2015

75 YEARS

DOMESTICNEWS

1 Peanut Congress

2 Kubicek Retirement

2 Gage Global PIM

3 Fortner to NPB Board

3 OLé Variety

4 Southern Ag Carriers Certifcation

5 Neogen Responds to Contamination

6 eTDE

6 Totebags

7 Websites

7 Quick Notes

7 EU Heavy Metal Regulations

PEANUT FOUNDATION

8 Updates

INTERNATIONALNEWS

8 Exports Review

NUTRITIONNEWS

11 Early Consump tion Prevents Allergy

12 Widen 5 A Day

NEW MEMBER13 Agrocrops Exim Ltd.

CONTENTS

DOMESTIC NEWS

Registration for the 19th Annual USA Peanut Congress is open. This year’s meeting will be

held at the newly renovated Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, June 13-17. A block of rooms at the hotel are being held at the group rate of $259. Don’t delay getting a reser-vation as the hotel block almost always fills prior to the cut-off date.

In addition to the business program and many networking opportunities, we will also offer a wide range of recreational events to allow attendees to experience the diverse offerings of the Asheville area and its beautiful mountain surroundings. Attendees may choose from a variety of events including white water rafting, treetops ziplining, scenic horseback riding, Biltmore Estate tour & wine tasting, area arts tour, microbrewery and distillery tour, and a guided hike to beautiful waterfalls. Each newsletter we’ll highlight one of the optional activities (see below).

For meeting, hotel, and optional activities registration, as well as, a tentative meeting schedule please go to: http://www.peanut-shellers.org/eventinfo.aspx?eid=4

Whitewater River Rafting is perhaps the most popular outdoor activity for those visit-ing the North Carolina mountains. No other sport combines teamwork, fun and outdoor adventure like a trip down the river. If you are looking for a scenic and exhilarating ad-venture, this is the tour for you! Our transportation will meet your group at the resort and transport you to an exciting and challenging rafting trip through the Class I to III rapids of the French Broad River or the Class I-IV of the Pigeon River (based on river con-ditions). Children must be at least 8 years old to participate in rafting trip. Please notify us if children are part of this program because a parent or guardian will be required to sign waivers for youths under 18 years of age. This excursion includes roundtrip transporta-tion, all necessary equipment, a guide in each raft, gourmet box lunch, snacks and bottled wa-ter. Please be sure to bring sunscreen and wear shoes that can be secured to feet because loose sandals are prohibited on our rivers!

USA PEANUT CONGRESS REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

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For the past 22 years, Mike Kubicek has lead the Oklahoma Peanut Commission as its Executive Director. At the conclusion of the Oklahoma Peanut Expo and celebration

of the Commission’s 50th anniversary in late March, Mike will be retiring. Over the last 43 years, Mike developed a career of promoting Oklahoma agriculture and its producers. His professional journey began with OSU Extension following graduation from Oklahoma State University in 1970 with a B.S. in Agronomy, all the while working on the OSU peanut research farm. Of course, all of that came very naturally since he grew up on a peanut farm in central Oklahoma. As a research assistant at OSU, Mike earned an M.S. in Plant Breeding in 1972.

Mike served as a 4-H Agent in Texas County and Extension Director of Alfalfa County. Along the way Mike served the agricultural community as the Director of Field Services & Assistant Executive Director of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau; and the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. Mike has been a tireless promoter of peanuts and agriculture and in 2008, Oklahoma State University bestowed upon him its Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award.

Mike and his wife Kianna will continue to operate Econtuchka Farms located northeast of Shawnee; growing wheat, grain sorghum, soybeans, hay and cattle. They will certainly be missed and all of us at the American Peanut Council wish them the very best.

KUBICEK TO RETIRE FROM OKLAHOMA PEANUT COMMISSION

JANINE GAGE NAMED GLOBAL PIM AT MONDELEZ

Janine Lopez Gage has been an active member of the pea-nut industry and the APC. She started her career in the

peanut industry back in 2000 when she worked at Galdisa, S.A. de C.V. in Mexico City as their Foreign Trade Manger and subsequently as their International Sales Manager. She left the industry in 2006 and rejoined in 2012 after the Kraft spin-off and the creation of Mondelēz International. Since then she has been responsible for the North American Pea-nut Spend (among other ingredient categories) as strategic Sourcing Mgr. – Agricultural Ingredients North America. Ja-nine has just been named Global Procurement Innovation Manager (PIM) for Biscuits at Mondelēz, where she will be responsible for identifying and bringing in outside innova-tion for the biscuit category. We wish Janine all the best in her new role.

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USDA APPOINTS NEW MISSISSIPPI ALTERNATE MEMBER TO NATIONAL PEANUT BOARD

United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently appointed Lon-nie Fortner of Port Gibson, Miss. as the alternate member for Mississippi on the Na-

tional Peanut Board. Fortner’s term will begin immediately and end on Dec. 31, 2016.Fortner operates Rock Lake Planting Company and grows runner peanuts in addition to cotton, corn, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Fortner is a third generation farmer earned an Ag Economics degree from Mississippi State University. After working for the USDA Farm Service Agency, Fortner had the opportunity in Claiborne and Warren counties to help manage a farm and has worked up to a farming partnership.

Fortner is a 2012 graduate of the Peanut Leadership Academy. He is a board member of the Mississippi Peanut Growers Asso-ciation and the Farmers Coop. Fortner is also vice president of the Claiborne County Farm Bureau, chairman of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Peanut Advisory Board and chairman of the Mis-sissippi Peanut Promotion Board. Additionally, he served as a member Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation State Committee and current member of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Crop In-surance and Transportation Committees. Fortner and his wife Karen have two children, Beth and Lee. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting.

Fortner is glad to join the National Peanut Board. “It’s good to be involved on the frontline to ensure that the grower’s investment is going to the right place,” he said.

OLÉ: NEW SPANISH PEANUT VARIETY HIGH IN OLEIC ACIDSharon Durham, USDA-ARS | Southeast Farm Press, February 3, 2015

A new Spanish peanut variety that packs high levels of healthful oleic acid has been released by Agricultural Research Service scientists and university cooperators. The

new variety, called OLé, could provide producers and consumers with a peanut that has a longer shelf life and heart-healthy qualities.

ARS biologist Kelly Chamberlin, in the Wheat, Peanut, and Other Field Crops Research Unit in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and cooperators at Oklahoma State University developed OLé.

Oleic acid is a beneficial monounsaturated fatty acid, and the high oleic acid levels in the peanut make its oil a heart-healthy one for consumers.

“This is an important variety that will have a lot of impact on the peanut industry as a whole,” says Chamberlin.

OLé has resistance to Sclerotinia blight, a fungal disease that can cause yield loss and is a particular problem for peanut growers in Oklahoma, Texas and the Virginia-North Carolina region. Depending upon the severity of field infestation, yield losses due to such soilborne diseases may be as high as 50 percent.

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OLÉ: NEW SPANISH PEANUT VARIETY HIGH IN OLEIC ACID, continued

SOUTHERNAG CARRIERS INC. GRANTED SAFE QUALITY FOOD LEVEL 3 CERTIFICATION

EAGLE Certification Group, a third-party certification body who audits businesses to in-ternational quality and food safety standards, certified SouthernAG Carriers Inc., in Al-

bany, GA, to the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 standard. SQF is a globally accepted farm to fork food safety standard recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

SouthernAG Carriers, a trucking company that primarily transports agriculture food grade products as well as frozen foods, has been certified to SQF Level 2 since 2010. The compa-ny made a commitment to take the certification to the next level during this year’s recerti-fication process. SQF Level 3 adds a comprehensive quality management system indicating that a food quality risk analysis of the product and its associated process has been com-pleted and actions taken to prevent incidences of poor quality have been implemented.

“Our company is committed to food safety and quality objectives that meets customer and regulatory expectations for the transportation of food products,” said Brooke Johns,

Director of Administration/HR for SouthernAG Carriers, Inc. “We have developed a standard, written procedure for every as-pect of our business to better serve our customers that takes our certification to the next level

Cultivated peanut is an economically important crop throughout the world. Peanut is sus-ceptible to many pathogens, with most damage being caused by fungi. Soilborne fungi cause diseases that adversely affect peanut health and productivity throughout the grow-ing areas of the United States.

“Sustainable peanut production in the southwestern United States demands that culti-vars grown there possess certain characteristics, including a high oleic/linoleic acid ra-tio, which increases peanut product shelf life, and resistance to multiple diseases,” says Chamberlin.

In tests at three locations in Oklahoma, Chamberlin and her colleagues found that growing OLé reduced Sclerotinia blight infestation. This can save growers approximately $100 per acre in fungicide costs for Sclerotinia blight alone. The variety also has good resistance to pod rot.

“The first high-oleic Spanish cultivar released, called OLin, was the result of the collaborative efforts of ARS, Texas AgriLife Research, and Oklahoma State University. It was re-leased in 2002,” says Chamberlin. OLé produces higher pea-nut yields than OLin.

The OLé variety is now being grown for foundation seed before being made available commercially.

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and confirms our commitment to quality service.”

As the only trucking company to achieve SQF certification, SouthernAG Carriers is setting the standard for the food transportation industry. More information on SQF certification can be found at www.eaglecertificationgroup.com or by contacting EAGLE Certification Group directly at 800-795-3641.

In response to recent recalls of products containing cumin found to be contaminated with peanuts and almonds, Neogen (Nasdaq: NEOG) announced that its comprehensive line of

food allergen tests includes quantitative and screening test kits that can quickly and accu-rately detect peanut and almond allergens in cumin and spice blends. Neogen’s AOAC-approved Veratox® for Peanut Allergen has been validated to detect and fully quantify peanut residues in cumin in about 30 minutes, with minimal training and equipment. Neogen also offers its Alert® for Peanut Allergen, which screens samples at 5 parts per million (ppm), and is based on the same technology of its Veratox test. The com-pany offers the same options to test samples for the presence of almonds. In addition, the Reveal® for Peanut Allergen test kit is an effective screening tool for the presence of peanut residues in these sample types. For companies that prefer not to do their own on-site testing, Neogen also offers a rapid laboratory testing service at its locations in Lansing, Mich., and Ayr, Scotland.

“Both food allergic consumers and food producers rely on the accurate labeling of food products to protect themselves from the consequences of the acciden-tal ingestion of food allergens,” said Tony Lupo, Neo-gen’s Director of Technical Services. “Testing that we have done with numerous raw ingredient and finished product samples containing cumin have detected the presence of peanuts, in high levels in some cases. Tests can protect businesses in the food value chain — and their consumers.”

Neogen’s tests detect both the nut and residual protein remaining in shell components of peanuts and almonds.

Neogen has created a special website where processors, producers and test labs can go for further information, including a new white paper on contaminated cumin. The address is www.neogen.com/CuminResponse/. On the site you will find information on contacting Neogen to speak to a specialist, and be able to download our new white paper, our allergen supplier checklist, and our Food Allergen Control Handbook.

Neogen’s food allergen testing products have been developed in close cooperation with the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP, www.farrp.org). FARRP is a food industry and university partnership that was formed to provide research and resource tools to the food industry. It is the leader in training and educating the industry on allergen awareness.

Neogen Corporation develops and markets products dedicated to food and animal safety. The company’s Food Safety Division markets dehydrated culture media, and diagnostic test

NEOGEN RESPONDS TO CUMIN AND SPICE BLEND CONTAMINATIONINVOLVING PEANUT

SOUTHERNAG CARRIERS INC. GRANTED SAFE QUALITY FOOD LEVEL 3 CERTIFICATION, continued

eTDE

USDA-FAS will extend the eTDE funding for 6 more months in 2015. It is anticipated that a fee system will be introduced during this time period to sustain eTDE past July. The

fee should be a relatively small per document charge to the document provider. Industry funds were used to finance work during January and early February. All major functions are working successfully with over 610,000 documents uploaded to date. Work is ongoing to address new software for both US and EU Aflatoxin software during January-March. This software will be available to all labs once completed.

Japan and Canada are in discussions with the USDA-FAS to begin using the system in 2015. Work is continuing with Mexico to add their border crossings.

All peanut exporters to the EU should now have access to an electronic copy of all documents needed to enter major EU ports. There are seven primary ports that are now test-ing these documents. They will require both a paper copy and an electronic copy until they are comfortable with the new electronic system. Please notify Howard Valentine of any issues with acceptance of the electronic documents.

If you need assistance in getting registered with eTDE or need other information, please contact Steve Calhoun (calhoste@bellsouth.net).

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TOTE BAGS

A draft copy of the revised APC totebag specification with the addition of elongation of the bags and polypropylene fraze specifications has been sent to Task Force members.

Several new additional changes to the current specifications were proposed by Co-chairs Harry Crozier & Rhonda Starling. These will be circulated among most totebag manufac-turers and shellers. A follow-up conference call will be held in late February to finalize the changes to the APC Totebag Specifications. The revised standard will then be forwarded to the APC Board for final approval. Additionally, the group is creating a standard Certifi-cate of Analysis (CoA) to accompany each shipment of totebags to the shellers.

Chris Butts, USDA-ARS, continues working with several of the cold storages and shellers to analyze changing the recommended temperature. Cold storage maximum temperatures up to around 50 degrees F is thought to virtually eliminate condensation in totes loaded into trucks for shipment during the summer months.

Anyone needing copies of the latest totebag specifications should contact Howard Valen-tine (hvalentine@peanutsusa.com) or Christina Taylor (ctaylor@peanutsusa.com).

kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, food allergens, drug residues, plant dis-eases and sanitation concerns. Neogen’s Animal Safety Division is a leader in the develop-ment of animal genomics along with the manufacturing and distribution of a variety of ani-mal healthcare products, including diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, veterinary instruments, wound care and disinfectants

NEOGEN RESPONDS TO CUMIN AND SPICE BLEND CONTAMINATIONINVOLVING PEANUT, continued

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IMPORTANT INDUSTRY RESEARCH WEBSITES

Information on peanut genomics: http://www.peanut.bioscience.com

Peanut Research Data Base: http://www.worldpeanutinfo.com/publications.html

Peanut genomic data is now available at: http://www.peanutbase.com

2013 UPPT Results Available Bill Branch, coordinator for the Uniform Pea-nut Performance Test, has made available cop-ies of the 2013 field test for potential new va-rieties. You may obtain a copy by e-mail, fax or mail. Send your request to: Dr William Branch University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station Tifton, GA 31793-0748 Fax: 229-386-7293 Email: wdbranch@uga.edu

2013 Crop Post Harvest Test Results AvailableTest results are now available on the Post Harvest attributes measured at the National Peanut Research Lab in Dawson, Georgia and the Market Quality & Handling Research Lab in Raleigh, North Carolina. Copies of the data will be distributed on a CD or can be electroni-cally mailed. If you are interested in a copy contact:

Marshall Lamb 229-995-7434Tim Sanders 919-515-6312

Howard Valentine 706-579-1755

QUICK NOTES

EU HEAVY METAL REGULATION

The European Commission’s proposals for new maximum limits for lead in certain foods (and revisions to existing maximum limits) are close to being agreed and will be included

as an amendment to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 once finalized.

The existing maximum level for lead in infant formulae and follow on formulae of 0.02mg/kg applies to the products ready to use (marketed as such or after reconstitution as in-structed by the manufacturer). Separate maximum levels are proposed for lead in infant formulae and follow-on formulae marketed as powder (0.05mg/kg) and infant formulae and follow-on formulae marketed as liquid (0.01mg/kg).

New maximum levels are proposed for lead in ready-to-eat meals for infants and young children (0.05mg/kg); cereal based foods for infants and young children (0.05mg/kg); other food for infants and young children marketed as liquids or after reconstitution (0.03mg/kg) and other food for infants and young children to be prepared by steeping, brewing, infusion or decoction [extraction by boiling] of (1.5mg/kg). A reduction in the maximum limit for lead in Cephalopods from 1mg/kg to 0.30mg/kg is proposed. New maximum limits have been put forward for lead in honey (0.10mg/kg) oilseeds (0.10mg/kg), sweet corn (0.10mg/kg) and fruiting vegetables other than sweet corn (0.05mg/kg)

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THE PEANUT FOUNDATION

Sequencing and assembly by Hudson-Alpha continues on the cultivated species, Tif-runner. The final results should be obtained early 2015. The recently replanted wild

parents have now been delivered to Hudson-Alpha for sequencing and assembly. This should assist in the assembly of the remainder of the tetraploid (Tifrunner) genome. The Foundation is also negotiating with Dovetail Genomics to use the newly sequenced ge-nomes and some recently developed systems by them to get longer sequence segments of genes which will make it easier to assemble Tifrunner. Compiling data from the various RIL populations segregating for desired traits continues at locations in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, China, and India. Those with key traits have gone through seed increases and are available from Corley Holbrook for use in new variety development. This seed with key traits, both quality and disease resistant, will be sequenced once the tetraploid genome is assembled.

The Foundation presented an update on the Peanut Genomic Initiative in Tifton at the an-nual Georgia Peanut Commission Research Review. The session was well attended with over 70 growers and researchers there.

The Foundation is also beginning to or-ganize the Seed Summit at the APRES meeting in July with breeders from all areas present. All industry members are invited to attend. There will also be a sheller/manufacturer panel as well to highlight upcoming needs.

A full report of the accomplishments for 2013-14 for the Peanut Genomic Initiative is available which opens with a laymen’s Executive summary. If you would like the full tech-nical report for 2014, please contact Christina Taylor (ctaylor@peanutsusa.com) at the APC in Alexandria. A new report for 2014-15 will be released on July 31, 2015.

INTERNATIONAL NEWSEXPORTS A BRIGHT SPOT IN 2014, EVEN WITHOUT HUGE VOLUMES TO CHINAThe results are in, and exports for 2014 add to the evidence that last year’s large export volume may not have been a one-off. Exports of all peanut products, including raw shelled kernels, inshells, blanched peanuts, processed peanut snacks and candy and peanut but-ter totaled 441,052 metric tons. While this volume is slightly less than last year’s 510,095 metric tons, it is up significantly from 2012 when exports totaled 268,608 MT. The value of exports in 2014 was nearly $700 million. Approximately 61% of total sales were kernels, down slightly from kernel sales in 2013, which represented 62% of the total. High value exports of inshells, peanut butter, and processed peanut products continue to gain ground.

Exports to ChinaIn 2013, exports to China were a big news story – and when the dust settled, 85,119 metric

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APC NewsletterEXPORTS A BRIGHT SPOT IN 2014, EVEN WITHOUT HUGE VOLUMES TO CHINA, continued

U.S. Peanut Exports by Market

tons of peanuts were shipped to the markets of Vietnam, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Of that total, most went to the ports in Vietnam and crossed into China. In 2014, 25,177 metric tons were shipped to the four markets above, but the majority went to main-land China. 11,286 metric tons of the peanuts shipped to mainland China were inshells. The value of exports to China was $103,654,167 in 2013 and $29,559,254 in 2014. Our traditional markets increased; the EU (up 2% to 179,487 MT); Canada (up 3.65% to 107,691 MT); and Mexico (up 4.15% to 70,503 MT). Japan is the only main market that decreased (down by 20% to 12,053 MT). Colombia, a new market for the U.S. increased 267% to 1675 MT, albeit from a small base.

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APC NewsletterEXPORTS A BRIGHT SPOT IN 2014, EVEN WITHOUT HUGE VOLUMES TO CHINA, continued

Export Growth over the past six years:

Inshell $35.5 million in 2009 $112 million in 2014Shelled $197.8 million in 2008 $332 million in 2013Peanut Butter $53.3 million in 2008 $147 million in 2013

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NUTRITION NEWS YOU CAN USE with Dr. Andrew Craig

It’s called LEAP – Learning Early about Peanut Allergy - and it has been five long years in the making. Now this ground-breaking study has been published in the New England

Journal of Medicine.(1) LEAP’s lead investigator Dr Gideon Lack, Professor of Paediatric Allergy at Kings College, University of London, presented the study’s findings simultane-ously at the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) meeting in Houston on 23rd February. The bottom line is that the LEAP study demonstrates that consumption of a peanut-containing snack by infants who are at high-risk for developing peanut allergy prevents the subsequent development of allergy. Put another way, early dietary exposure to peanut allergen promotes the development of tolerance to peanuts in the child’s developing immune system and is highly effective in preventing allergic reac-tions to peanuts in later life.

The prevalence of peanut allergy has grown alarmingly over the past 10 years in western countries in particular, with 1 in 50 children in the UK and USA now thought to be aller-gic to peanuts. Peanut allergy is an abnormal response by the body’s immune system to harmless peanut proteins in the diet. This study was based on a hypothesis that regular eating of peanut-containing products, when started during infancy, will elicit a protective immune response instead of an allergic immune reaction.

The LEAP randomised controlled study – the first of its kind - enrolled over 600 British children between 4 and 11 months of age at high risk for peanut allergy to test whether consumption or avoidance of peanut until age 5 years would result in decreased incidence of peanut allergy. Children were randomly assigned to test consumption of a peanut-con-taining snack on a regular basis, or to avoid peanut consumption, for 5 years. The preva-lence of peanut allergy in the 5-year-old children was then compared between the peanut consumption and the avoidance groups. Children in the peanut consumption arm of the trial ate a peanut-containing snack-food at least three times each week, while children in the peanut avoidance arm did not ingest peanut-containing foods.

The infants enrolled in the study had severe eczema and/or egg allergy, which put them at high risk of developing peanut allergy. Of the children who avoided peanut, 17% devel-oped peanut allergy by the age of 5 years. Remarkably, only 3% of the children who were randomised to eating the peanut snack developed peanut allergy by age 5. Therefore, in high-risk infants, sustained consumption of peanut beginning in the first 11 months of life was highly effective in preventing the development of peanut allergy.

As Professor Gideon Lack, pointed out, “for decades allergists have been recommending that young infants avoid consuming allergenic foods such as peanut to prevent food aller-gies. Our findings suggest that this advice was incorrect and may have contributed to the rise in the peanut and other food allergies.”

Some people and parts of the media may have difficulty accepting this clinical finding be-cause it seems counterintuitive that exposing high-risk children to strong doses of peanut

EARLY CONSUMPTION OF PEANUTS PREVENTS PEANUT ALLERGY IN HIGH‐RISK INFANTS

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allergens very early in life can prevent peanut allergy from developing when they encoun-ter peanuts later. It is important to remember that precautionary advice about avoiding peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding was withdrawn in the UK and North America in 2009 because it was shown to be ineffective in preventing increasing rates of peanut allergy in children. The evidence is now strong that early exposure is an effective way to encourage tolerance to peanut protein.

The American peanut industry knows there is still much to do to help everyone understand how the peanut allergy field has changed so dramatically in such a short space of time. The industry has supported the LEAP programme from the outset and will do everything it can to communicate accurately what the new results mean. Encouraging as LEAP is for the future, no one should be under the false impression that LEAP’s findings mean that peanut allergy is no longer a serious issue for many individuals who are already allergic or that the need for allergy-safe and evidence-based management practices and the provision of ac-curate information to allergic consumers has gone away. These will continue to be a main concern of the American peanut industry.

For the full journal article: www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850 For the accompanying editorial: www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1500186

EARLY CONSUMPTION OF PEANUTS PREVENTS PEANUT ALLERGY IN HIGH‐RISK INFANTS, continued

UK INDUSTRY SAYS: “WIDEN FIVE A DAY TO INCLUDE NUTS”

The UK’s “Five a Day” initiative to encourage the British public to consume more vegetables and fruit each day, reflecting WHO recommendations, began in the 1990s. Back then nuts (meaning peanuts and tree nuts) were excluded from the foods that counted towards 5 a day but not, as you might think, because of their fat content. The reasons were: their high protein levels grouped nuts with meat, fish and “alternative” foods; nuts were seen as snack foods and per capita consumption was low in the early 1990s; and there was confu-sion about what a portion/serving of nuts was.

How times have changed in the nut world and the wider world of food policy. Nutrition sci-ence continues to discover the health benefits of peanuts and treenuts and food policy in Europe has evolved to include nuts within the fruit and vegetables category.

Public Health England’s recent announcement that it was considering how the 5 a Day scheme operated was the motivation for APC to draw together an evidence submission on behalf of the UK’s nut industry making the case for widening 5 a Day to include nuts. APC worked with the British Peanut Council and the Combined Edible Nut Trade Association (CENTA), and collectively the industry bodies submitted their evidence in February.

The evidence reviews the key ways in which nuts are seen differently in 2015 compared to their image in the 1990s when the UK’s “Five a Day” programme was being planned. The key points it makes are:

• Nuts are now clearly within the “fruit and vegetable” category for nutrient profil-ing purposes in the view of the UK Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety

February 2015Page 13

APC NewsletterCLOSER TO UNDERSTANDING HOW RESVERATROL WORKS AND HOW IT MIGHT BENEFIT HEALTH

Authority.

• The health benefits of regular nut consumption have been recognised by health and nutrient claims in the US and the EU and there is a rising level of nutritional research evidence to support such claims.

• Nuts are now part of dietary recommendations for whole populations and specifi-cally for school age groups.

• Nuts are encouraged as healthy snacks and substitutes for higher fat, salt and sugar snacks for British school children.

The submission’s conclusion is that “taken collectively, these developments argue for a wid-ening of the “Five a Day” criteria to include nuts (peanuts and tree nuts). This is a logical step towards the goal of helping people make simple, affordable choices to increase their fruit and vegetable intake.”

Public Health England is now considering the British nut industry’s submission as part of its general focus on expanding how the 5 a Day scheme operates.

A copy of the submission is available by clicking here.

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Agrocrops is a young and growing peanut & dried chilli Processor & Exporter from India, with an annual export sales of over 100000 metric tons of peanuts around the world.

Agrocrops’ yearly sales revenue is over 200 million US Dollar.

The company is currently pursuing to setup a 1000 metric ton/day processing capacityin its home base - Chennai; where almost 4 different states production of peanut con-verge.

As the country’s largest peanut han-dlers, Agrocrops is now seeking glob-al technology and know-how in pea-nut processing to become a billion dollar company in the next 3-5 years time frame. “

AGROCROPS EXIM LIMITED