Spring/Summer 2010 - Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products ...

What is a ”major food allergen?”
According to the Food Allergen
Labeling and Consumer
Protection Act of 2004, or FALCPA, a
“major allergen” is an ingredient or an
ingredient containing protein from one
or more of the following foods: soybeans,
eggs, milk, tree nuts, peanuts,
fish, and Crustacean shellfish. There
are more than 150 foods known to
cause food allergies, but about 90 percent
is a result of the top eight foods.
FALCPA only requires recognition for
these top foods in labeling regulations.
The FAPC will hold a Food Allergen
Workshop on June 24, 2010. Visit
www.fapc.biz/foodallergen to register.
14 | fapc.biz
business & marketing
By Andrea Graves
Business Planning & Marketing Specialist
andrea.graves@okstate.edu
Crumbs from the Kitchen
Q:
A:
Andrea Graves is a business planning
and marketing specialist at the FAPC.
If you have a (marketing or business)
question that you would like
answered in a future issue of fapc.
biz, please email questions to andrea.
graves@okstate.edu .
Q:
The Health Department
notified me that I needed
a process authority letter for my
new salsa product. What is it
and why would I need one?
A:
William McGlynn, FAPC horticulture
processing specialist
and process authority in Oklahoma,
defines the need for a letter as anyone
who is manufacturing a canned
low-acid or acidified food requires a
process authority’s input, often given
in the form of an authorized letter.
The process authority has the knowledge
and expertise of the thermal
processing requirements for low acid
foods and the requirements for acidified
foods. Additionally, the process
authority also has the equipment and
facilities to make determinations for
these kinds of foods. A process authority
will review the manufacturer’s
scheduled processes for these foods
to help ensure they are adequate to
maintain a food that will not permit
the growth of microorganisms having
public health significance under
normal, non-refrigerated conditions of
Crumbs from the Kitchen will be a recurring series
featuring frequently asked questions at the Robert
M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center.
Each issue will include a few questions, which will be answered
by Andrea Graves, business planning and marketing
specialist.
storage and distribution. In turn, a letter
is generated stating the food manufacturer
must follow the guidelines as
noted in order to maintain a safe food
product such as salsa.
The FAPC will hold a Better Process
Control School June 14-17. For
more information, visit www.fapc.biz/
processcontrol.
FAPC Fact ...
Q:
Did you know the FAPC
can help companies
learn how to use social media?
A:
The FAPC is teaching a Social
Media Training on July
15, 2010. This workshop will teach
the basic skills of using Internet
marketing through Facebook and
Twitter. Food manufacturers will
learn how they can set up their own
pages and use this growing avenue
to broaden their marketing efforts.
Visit www.fapc.biz/socialmediatraining
to register.