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The MWFPA News Bulletin is underwritten in part by Bug Blocker Doors & Screens
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Sign Up Now For MWFPA's Cleaning & Sanitation In Food Plants Seminar
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If your business is involved in food sanitation or sanitary design, we urge you to consider attending this event.
Food safety remains the most important issue facing the food industry today. Now more then ever food processors need to demonstrate that safety is the top priority. The proactive and preventative approach to controlling contamination through cleaning and sanitation is increasingly being recognized as a key factor in food safety management.
EXHIBITORS: Engage in face-to-face conversations with attendees by reserving table top space located in the general meeting room.
T
he MWFPA Food Science & Technology Committee has organized this high quality seminar which incorporates the principles of sanitary practices in food facilities with the importance of sanitary design of equipment and facilities. It is
recommended for those in charge of sanitation and maintenance of food plants.
Review the exhibitor prospectus and registration here. General registration here.
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MWFPA Food Energy Forum Aids Particpants In Achieving Energy Saving Goals
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 In conjunction with Focus on Energy and the Miron Corpoation, MWFPA held a food energy forum on Feb. 28th at the Miron offices in Neenah, WI.
Over 70 participants heard from a number of experts
introducing attendees to energy saving processes and programs to help them achieve energy saving goals. Review the Forum agenda here.
The Forum was free to food processors and students and for a small fee to vendors and contractors.
Thanks to all those who attended.
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WI Gov. Walker Signs Bill Protecting Worker's Comp "Exclusive Remedy"
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WI Gov. Scott Walker signed Senate Bill 781, important legislation that was introduced just 3 weeks ago in response to a Court of Appeals decision from January that upended the "exclusive remedy" of worker's compensation for some workers.
The decision, which Act 139 overturns going forward, allowed injured workers who had been placed by a staffing service to choose between filing a worker's compensation claim or filing a lawsuit. Now that Act 139 is law, all workers, regardless if they are permanent or temporary, must file claims for workplace injuries through worker's compensation, as has been the case since 1911.
The bill was approved unanimously in both the Assembly and Senate last week. Representative Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield), Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) and Senator Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) championed the bill and helped move it quickly through the legislative process.
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WI State Assembly Passes Local Labor Law Restrictions
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 The WI State Assembly voted 58-32 along party lines on bill that would prohibit municipalities from creating their own local labor laws.
As a result, local regulations that cover labor and overtime or retirement benefits are just some that would be barred under the
bill.
Cities and counties would also no longer be allowed to ban private employers from asking for a person's salary history as part of a job application.
The bill, which is supported by MWFPA, now moves onto the State Senate which is tentatively schedule to hold its final session day of the year on March 20.
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MN Legislative Pace Expected To Be Fast, Budget Forecast Shows Surplus
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 The MN legislative session started February 20 and pace is expected to be fast during the 12 weeks before the constitutional adjournment of May 21.
The first order of business was to restore the House and Senate's legislative two-year funding of $130 million that Governor Dayton had vetoed last May. He has signed the bill.
At the same time, he has indicated that he will include reversing the tax changes from last year in his supplemental budget this year that is expected to be released mid-March.
The February budget forecast has a projected budget surplus of $329 million, reversing the
deficit projection made in December. Republicans who control the Legislature have said any surplus would help ease a state tax code rewrite in a way that would avoid tax increases for some filers.
Now that they have the most current data, the governor and legislators will proceed with other budget decisions, including supplemental appropriations for emerging state budget priorities, how to address income tax conformity in the wake of the passage by Congress of the federal tax reform legislation, and a possible capital projects (bonding) bill.
The Senate and House Tax Committees held informational hearings the first week of session on the impact of the federal tax reform bill.
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MWFPA, Canned Food Industry Oppose Tin Plate Tariff
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 MWFPA and the canned food industry continue to strongly oppose the Trump Administration's plans to announce tariffs
or import restrictions on tinplate steel - a unique type of steel that is specifically made for food cans.
The President announced that next week he will sign off on a 25 percent tariff for imported steel and 10 percent tariff for foreign aluminum.
Such tariffs would make canned foods vulnerable to competition from packaging made with alternative materials and therefore jeopardize jobs in an industry that employs tens of thousands of U.S. workers and pays approximately $3 billion in federal and state taxes. Even a small increase in the price of raw materials would create further price pressures on both can makers and food manufacturers in an already challenging economic environment.
Furthermore, tariffs on tinplate would drive up prices for canned food, something that would hit families on food stamps hard because they eat more canned fruits and vegetables than wealthier households.
Read the position of the Canned Manufacturers Institute.
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USDA Set To Tackle Regs, Trade & Ag Workforce Issues
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USDA Sec. Sonny Purdue
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USDA Sec. Sonny Purdue told stakeholders
in Washington, DC.
recently that he wants to "burrow out" overly restrictive regulations, "strike the best deal" for trade and "get a reasonable solution to an agriculture workforce," amid the ongoing immigration debate. Read more from
Food navigator-usa.com
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Trump Proposes FDA Funding Increase
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 FDA would receive $5.8 billion in total resources under the Trump administration's fiscal 2019 budget request - half of which would be derived by taxpayer funding. That's a $473 million increase over current levels.
The President calls for keeping funding for the foods side of the FDA essentially flat as the agency begins implementing key elements of the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The Trump budget proposal includes $1.4 billion for food safety across all FDA programs, which is $10 million above Congress's Continuing Resolution for the fiscal year 2018. The total includes $1.4 billion in budget authority and continues $16 million in currently authorized user fees.
The budget document says FDA's food safety portfolio during FY 2019 will include implementing mandatory standards for imported foods, rapidly detecting and responding to major foodborne illness outbreaks, and helping consumers make healthy choices with the most up-to-date science.
The budget plan increase for FDA seeks $3.25 billion from federal appropriations and the rest from industry user fees. MWFPA has previously opposed such fees recognizing that new food taxes or regulatory fees would mean higher costs for food makers and lead to higher retail food prices for consumers.
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FDA Issues Guidance On Added Sugar, Dietary Fiber, Serving Sizes
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The FDA has unveiled guidance on added sugars, serving sizes and dietary fibers to help manufacturers implement the new Nutrition Facts label, and says it's working on a plan to incentivize manufacturers to make healthier products and "provide consumers with helpful tools to make healthy food choices, including clarity on food label claims."
Read more.
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FDA's 2017 Food Code Released
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the 2017 edition of the
FDA Food Code, a set of model regulations and advice for the reduction of foodborne illnesses, including suggested uniform standards for retail food safety, inspections and audits.
The Code includes (i) a requirement for a person in charge of the establishment to be a "Certified Food Protection Manager"; (ii) an added section regarding the use of bandages, finger cots and stalls; (iii) standardized cooking times and temperatures for "intact and non-intact" meat and poultry; and (iv) updated procedures for operation during extended water or electrical outages.
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USDA, HHS Invite Public Comment On Dietary Guidelines
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The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) have announced a new step in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) development process.
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MWFPA Scholarships Deadline Today!!
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 The application deadline for MWFPA Scholarships is today - March 2, 2018!!
The scholarship may award up to $2,000 (depending on availability of funds) in funds to deserving children of parents or guardians who are employees of MWFPA member companies. They must also be a high school senior or post-secondary student accepted into, or attending, any post-secondary school in the United States.
Undergraduate students attending, or planning to attend, UW Madison, Platteville or River Falls are eligible for
Friday/Weckel scholarships. Applications are due by April 27, 2018.
Information and applications can be downloaded from the MWFPA
website, or by contacting Brian Elliott at:
[email protected], or by calling 608-255-9946.
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Save the Date - MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble
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 Save the date for MWFPA's Spring Summit & Scramble set for May 30-31, 2018 at Trappers Turn Golf Club in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
It's never too early to think spring and the MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble. Plan now to join us for our annual association business and networking event. Look for more information coming soon to our website and social media outlets.
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Commercial Insurance Rate Changes Expected
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Thanks largely to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, commercial insurance buyers will face a market correction in 2018. Find out more about what the commercial insurance environment looks like for your business in this
report from
Hays Companies of Wisconsin - MWFPA's member insurance provider.
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MWFPA Board & Committee Calendar
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MWFPA Raw Products Committee: Wed., March 14, 2018. 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., lower conference room at 4600 American Parkway, Madison, WI,
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MWFPA Events You Won't Want To Miss
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April 11, 2018: MWFPA Cleaning & Sanitation in Food Plants. The Wilderness Resort, Glacier Canyon Lodge, 45 Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells, WI.
May 30 - 31, 2018: MWFPA Spring Summit & Scramble.Trappers Turn Golf Course, Wisconsin Dells, WI
October 11, 2018: MWFPA Sporting Clay Challenge.Caribou Gun Club, 30649 380th Street, Le Sueur, MN.
November 27 - 29, 2018: MWFPA 114th Annual Convention and 91st Processing Crops Conference. Kalhari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI.
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Other Educational Opportunities
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April 10, 2018:
HTST Pasteurizer Operation and Procedures, Fox Valley Technical College, 1825 Bluemound Dr., Appleton, WI. Registration fee is $100 (includes continental breakfast, lunch and breaks). Register online and download course materials
here.
April 16 - 18, 2018:
PACK EXPO East, Pennsylvania Convention Center,
Philadelphia, PA. Produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
MWFPA joins the official Partner Program. For more information or to register, go to:
https://www.packexpoeast.com/.
April 23-26, 2018:
Midwest Better Process Control School.
University of WI Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St, Madison, WI. 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, April 23-25, and 7:30 - noon, April 26. The Better Process Control School provides the food industry with qualified personnel to meet FDA and USDA regulations under 21 CFR 113 and 114.
All processing of thermally processed low-acid or acidified foods which are packaged in hermetically-sealed containers must have certain critical operations supervised by a qualified person.
Registration, course information and a link to online registration is here: https://foodsafety.wisc.edu. Registrations are now being accepted. Early registration deadline is Monday, April 9.
Please contact Dr. Barbara Ingham, University of Wisconsin, with questions: [email protected]
September 30 - October 2, 2018:
10th Annual Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit, Hyatt Regency, Minneapolis, MN.
Register
by June 30, 2018 to receive an early bird rate of $800! Click here to register.
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Check Out MWFPA's Customized Property & Casualty Insurance For Members Only
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The Midwest Food Products Association is pleased to announce that
its members now have access to an exclusive insurance program that is written specifically for our industry. With assistance from the risk management firm Hays Companies, this program offers a customized Property and Casualty insurance program.
The program offers a complete insurance program for all business types, from processor to manufacturers, logistics to wholesaler and anything in between. No market segment is excluded, and no organization is too large or too small.
Learn more about what the MWFPA Insurance Program can do for you by visiting the program's website:
https://mwfpa.haysprograms.com/.
For more information about the program, contact: Brad Van Swol at:Email:
[email protected]; Phone: (414) 290-3581
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