Welcome Simone Frazier as new Board Member

Food Northwest welcomes a new member to its Board of Directors. Simone Frazier will be replacing VP Randy Eronimous who took a new position with Darigold. Ms. Frazier joined Darigold in July 2022 as its Senior Vice President of Manufacturing. She has considerable experience in food processing having recently served as Vice President of Engineering at Keurig Dr. Pepper, Inc and prior to that over 25 years with Land O’Lakes, Inc.

FDA Enters Rulemaking to Update the Definition of “Healthy”

On September 29, 2022, FDA published a proposed rule to update the definition for the implied nutrient content claim “healthy” consistent with current nutrition science and FDA dietary guidance. The proposed rule requires, in addition to nutrient limits (saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars), that food products contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups recommended by the Dietary Guidelines, 2020-2025 to be labeled “healthy”. For example, a cereal would need to contain ¾ ounce of whole grains and contain no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 2.5 grams of added sugars. Comments on the rule are due to FDA by 11:59 pm Eastern on December 28, 2022. For a copy of the rule visit: Food Labeling: Nutrient Content Claims: Definition of Term “Healthy”

FDA will hold a webinar on the rule on Friday, October 21, 2022, at 10:00 am Pacific Time, 11:00 am Mountain Time, 1:00 pm Eastern Time. For more information or to register for the webinar visit: https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-host-webinar-discuss-proposed-changes-definition-healthy

Tukwila’s Continental Mills changes name to The Krusteaz Company

Tukwila-based Continental Mills, which has a manufacturing facility in Kent, will change its name to The Krusteaz Company in honor of its flagship brand and the 90th anniversary of the brand. Read the full article in the Kent Reporter here

USDA Grant Support for Agricultural Employers addresses Labor Shortages

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) of USDA is hosting listening sessions for public input on a farm labor stabilization and protection pilot grant program. Up to $65 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding will be available to provide support for agricultural employers. This program is focused on improving the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain by addressing current labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration through increased use of legal pathways, and improving labor protections for farmworkers. FSA will hold a session for input from employer organizations on September 28, 2022, at 11:00 am EST (8:00 am PST, 9:00 am MST). For information on the program, including the specific questions FSA has for employer organizations, and to register for the online session see www.fsa.usda.gov/farmworkers FSA will also accept written comments through late October, see Federal Register Notice.