Bi-Monthly Newsletter of the

Midwest Food Products Association

MWFPA is The Voice of The Food Manufacturing Industry

Happy New Year and a sincere thank you to all the members of the Midwest Food Products Association who helped make 2022 a year of growth for the food processing industry and MWFPA. MWFPA values the participation of all its members. Connect on social media and

read on below to learn more about member engagement opportunities in 2023!

Drought Leads To 80% Jump in Vegetable Prices

The price of vegetables from producers shot up 38% on a monthly basis in November -- and jumped over 80% compared to November 2021 -- according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics latest Producer Price Index. The price of water has increased for farmers, as rising temperatures and droughts in the Western region of the U.S. have hampered their ability to grow crops. MORE

Source: MBS

US National Debt on Pace to be 225% of GDP by 2050, Penn Wharton Says

The U.S. national debt is on track to continue surging over the next three decades, spiraling to a new high that could ultimately endanger the economy, according to a new analysis published on Monday. The findings from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a nonpartisan group at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, found that under current law, the national debt will rise to 225% of U.S. GDP by 2050. MORE

Source: WMC

US Economy Grew 3.2% in Q3, an Upgrade from Earlier Estimate

Shrugging off rampant inflation and rising interest rates, the U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly strong 3.2% annual pace from July through September, the government reported Thursday in a healthy upgrade from its earlier estimate of third-quarter growth. The rise in gross domestic product — the economy’s output in goods and services — marked a return to growth after consecutive drops in the January-March and April-June periods. Still, many economists expect the economy to slow and probably slip into recession next year under the pressure of higher interest rates being engineered by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation that earlier this year reached heights not seen since the early 1980s. Driving the third-quarter growth were strong exports and healthy consumer spending. Investment in housing plunged at an annual rate of 27.1%, hammered by higher mortgage rates arising from the Fed’s decision to raise its own benchmark rate seven times this year. MORE

Source: IMA

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The Inflation Reduction Act Is Providing Debt Payment Of 11,000 Farmers.

The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in August is providing many things to many people, including paying down the debt of 11,000 farmer borrowers who were delinquent on their FSA direct or guaranteed loans. So how did the Inflation Reduction Act, which was supposed to be aimed at rebuilding the nation’s transportation infrastructure, come to help distressed borrowers who had fallen behind on their Farm Service Agency loan payments. MORE

Source: MBS

USTR Extends China Tariff Exclusions Another 9 Months

The U.S. Trade Representative extended existing tariff exclusions on 352 products from China that were slated to end at the end of 2022. The exclusions had been reinstated in March. The latest extension, announced on Friday, will last an additional nine months. The products are exceptions made to tariffs on imports from China instated by the Trump Administration in 2018. The tariffs were enacted through a “Section 301 Investigation” that found the country’s policies and practices around technology transfer and intellectual property were unreasonable and discriminatory. MORE

Source: WMC

Omnibus Spending Bill Includes Ag Disaster Money and USDA Carbon Program

The massive spending bill negotiated for Congress to pass before adjourning includes language allowing USDA to establish rules and verification protocols for agricultural carbon market programs. The bill also funds $3.74 billion for agricultural disasters in 2022.The $1.7 trillion “omnibus” spending bill, however, does not include any immigration reform for agricultural workers under H-2A, despite an impassioned plea on the Senate floor Monday night by the lead champion in the Senate, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. MORE

Source: MBS

Pritzker, Unions Herald Adoption of Workers’ Rights Amendment

From Chicago Sun-Times: Illinois labor leaders and Gov. J.B. Pritzker took a victory lap Thursday, celebrating passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment with a proclamation certifying that it’s taken effect. “Every worker from Chicago to Peoria to East St. Louis now has the constitutional right to organize their workplace no matter what,” Pritzker said before signing the proclamation at the Local 134 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, 2722 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. MORE

Source: IMA

Hungry for the Holidays: Inflation Driving Spike in Food Insecurity Across Wisconsin

Food insecurity appears to be exploding across Wisconsin, with nearly an 11% increase in the amount of Foodshare and food stamp benefits being delivered, according to the state Department of Health Services. The jump in October — the most recent data available — is also more than 8% higher than at any time this year. It's also higher than at any time in 2021. "There's a lot of need in Milwaukee," said Sherrie Tussler, executive director of Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee “Inflation is really hurting all of us, but low-income families more than most." MORE

Source: WMC

High Commodity Prices Feed a Boom in the U.S. Farm Belt

High prices for crops and livestock are fueling a boom in the U.S. Farm Belt, making farmers, ranchers and agricultural companies rare winners as the broader American economy softens. U.S. net farm income is expected to surge to $160.5 billion this year, boosted by increased prices for farm goods ranging from wheat to milk, according to a key U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast in December. MORE

Source: WMC

Congress Giving FDA $41 Million More For Its Troubled Food Safety Activities

Food safety was called out this year as the step-child of the Food and Drug Administration. And the FDA Commissioner who called for an outside review by Reagan-Udall Foundation did not seem to doubt there are leadership and organizational problems. The Foundation’s report also seemed to lay everything on the table. Congress is responding too, with more money for food safety and more overall for FDA. In the just-released omnibus bill covering FY 23 appropriations funding, FDA gets an additional $226 million in budget authority (BA) funding, which is more than a 6.5 percent increase. MORE

Source: MBS

Current Knowledge on Food Safety Culture According To FDA

As part of an effort to promote food safety culture under the New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has commissioned a literature review to address overarching questions about the concept. A total of 79 articles were included in the literature review. Specifically, the researchers sought to answer: What is food safety culture? How is food safety culture developed and maintained? How is food safety culture assessed? MORE

Source: MBS



Protect Your Company from Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scams

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is alerting Wisconsin businesses of recent incidents of criminal actors using business email compromise (BEC) to steal shipments of food products and ingredients valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. A recent Cybersecurity Advisory issued jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA OCI), and the US

Department of Agriculture (USDA) analyzes the common tactics, techniques, and procedures

(TTPs) utilized by criminal actors to impersonate legitimate employees using fake emails and

domains. Scammers using BEC may order goods on behalf of a company without paying for them. BEC scammers may also resell goods at devalued prices with labeling that lacks regard for industry standard such as allergens, ingredients, and expiration dates. Wisconsin businesses should utilize a risk-informed analysis to prepare for and mitigate cyber incidents and other cyber-enabled crimes. Read the joint FBI, FDA OCI, and USDA Cybersecurity Advisory online.

Source: WI DATCP

FDA Sends Warnings to Food Firms Selling CBD

A food firm in Nevada is on notice from the FDA for concern that some of the firm’s CBD products are in forms that are appealing to children. In a Nov. 16, 2022, warning letter the FDA described an Oct. 2022, review of Infusionz, LLC’s website at the internet address https://cbdinfusionz.com. The FDA’s review brought concern, that with these products, there is a risk of unintended consumption of the CBD ingredient by consumers. Because of the following issues, the FDA determined that introducing or delivering these products for introduction into interstate commerce violates the FD&C Act. MORE

Source: MBS

Food Waste Fight Increasingly Turns to Science

Hate mealy apples and soggy french fries? Science can help. Restaurants, grocers, farmers and food companies are increasingly turning to chemistry and physics to tackle the problem of food waste. Some are testing spray-on peels or chemically-enhanced sachets that can slow the ripening process in fruit. Others are developing digital sensors that can tell — more precisely than a label — when meat is safe to consume. And packets affixed to the top of a takeout box use thermodynamics to keep fries crispy. MORE

Source: CLFP



Private Label Back with a Vengeance

After losing some ground to branded products during the pandemic, private label is surging during inflationary times, as large food retailers move to take advantage. In a survey by FMI – the Food Industry Association cited in the Wall Street Journal, more than 80% of respondents plan to increase their investment in private-label products. Kroger increased private-label sales in its most recent quarter by more than 10% year-over-year, during which it introduced 147-new store brand products. It plans to start a new value-conscious private label line. Walmart also expects private label sales to increase. Branded products experienced something of a surge during the pandemic, as shoppers gravitated toward the familiar. But now that shoppers are pressed by inflation, major food retailers with established private label product lines see a greater opportunity. MORE

Source: FoodProcessing.com



WI Lawmakers, Ag Industry Push Back on Federal Rule that Would

Exclude Cranberries as a Healthy Food

Healthy foods aren’t typically top of mind during the holidays. But most of the year, marketing a food as "healthy" can catch a consumer’s eye. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has a formal definition of what it means for a food to be healthy, which the agency is currently working to update. But some in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation and agriculture industry worry the new definition leaves out cranberries and tart cherries. Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers in sending a letter to the head of the FDA, asking the agency to make exceptions to the added sugar limits for the two unique fruits. MORE

Source: WisPolitics

Mexico Says U.S. 'Satisfied' With GM Corn Ban Postponement

Mexico’s decision to postpone a planned ban of genetically modified (GM) corn purchases from the United States until 2025 was deemed satisfactory by the U.S. government, Agriculture Minister Victor Villalobos said on Tuesday. The neighboring countries have been at loggerheads over the Mexican decree, issued in 2020, that would phase out imports of GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by 2024. The United States in late November threatened legal action against Mexico’s plan, saying it would cause huge economic losses and significantly impact bilateral trade. Earlier this month, Mexico said it would extend the deadline until 2025 and was working on a proposal to overhaul its plan. MORE

Source: MBS

New Federal Food Label Law Has Unintended Effect: Sesame Now in More Foods

A new federal law requiring that sesame be listed as an allergen on food labels is having unintended consequences -- increasing the number of products with the ingredient. Food industry experts said the requirements are so stringent that many manufacturers, especially bakers, find it simpler and less expensive to add sesame to a product -- and to label it -- than to try to keep it away from other foods or equipment with sesame. MORE

Source: MBS

Judge: People can Sell Candy, Cakes, Cookies Without License

A Dane County judge has ruled that people can sell a wide range of homemade food without a commercial license or kitchen. Judge Rhonda Lanford issued the decision earlier this week, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Saturday. The ruling expands the types of food that can be made and sold from home to items like candy, cocoa bombs, fried doughnuts and roasted coffee beans. The ruling marks the second court victory in five years for three women who have been fighting to sell food from home. Bed-and-breakfast owner Lisa Kivirist and farmers Dela Ends and Kriss Marion won a ruling in 2017 that a state ban on selling home-baked goods was unconstitutional. They filed a follow-up lawsuit in 2021 arguing that people should be able to sell other shelf-stable goods out of their homes as well. The Wisconsin Cottage Food Association, which represents people who make homemade foods for sale in the state, joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff. MORE

Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue Looking to Return $640 Million in

Unclaimed Money to Residents

This holiday season, most people plan to spend about $932 on gifts, according to a Gallup poll released in October. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) is looking to bring you a little holiday joy by returning millions in unclaimed property. "Unclaimed property is intangible assets like cash on, for example, a savings account that you forgot about, or a payroll check that was never cashed, or like a refund from an insurance premium overpayment,” said Erin Egan, Director of Tax Operations for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. MORE

Source: WMC

January 19th MWFPA AMO/Convention Committee Meeting hosted via Zoom at 10 am

Please email jason.culotta@mwfpa.org with your request to participate.

February 15th - Safety Seminar

Early Bird Member Registration is LIVE

Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells

February 27-28th - OSHA 10-HOUR

Registration link HERE

Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells

March 16th - MWFPA/WCMA Environmental Committee Meeting with WI DNR

Registration link HERE

Hilton, Sun Prairie

March 23rd - Energy Management Seminar

Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells

March 31st - MWFPA Scholarship applications due

https://mwfpa.org/scholarships

April 20th - Friday/Weckel Scholarship applications due

https://mwfpa.org/scholarships

April 27th - Sanitation Seminar

Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells

June 1st - MWFPA Annual Summit & Scramble

Trappers Turn, Wisconsin Dells

October 12th - Sporting Clays Classic

November 28-30th - 2023 Convention & Processing Crops Conference

Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells



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