APC NewsletterMarch 2015

75 YEARS

DOMESTICNEWS

1 Peanut Congress

2 2016 IPF

3 Caleb Bristow

4 TPPB Meeting

5 SPG Conference

6 Jimbo’s Jumbos

7 Roka Bioscience

8 Grower Relief

10 eTDE

10 Websites

10 Quick Notes

11 Totebags

PEANUT FOUNDATION

11 Updates

INTERNATIONALNEWS

12 EU Heavy Metal Regulations

13 EU Pesticides

13 2013 Pesticide Report

14 EU Nickel Content

NUTRITIONNEWS

15 LEAP Study

20 Peanuts in the Diet

APC 75th21 Call for Photos

CONTENTS

DOMESTIC NEWS

USA PEANUT CONGRESS

Have you registered for the USA Peanut Con-gress? The 19th Annual USA Peanut Con-gress will be held at the newly renovated Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, June 13-17. The hotel block is filling fast so don’t delay making your reservations. We have a great program of speakers this year with speakers covering new marketing cam-paigns, sustainability, and government program updates.

In addition to the business program and many networking opportunities, we will also offer a wide range of recreational events to allow at-tendees 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).

Treetops Adventure Park Your group will be taken to an exhilarat-ing treetop park that features over 60 unique climbing, ziplining, walk-ing, jumping, swinging and rappelling challenges anchored to over 30 trees and towering poles nestled in the wooded park. There are 5 vol-untary “trails” to maneuver, classified and clearly marked as easy, in-termediate, or advanced. The park is akin to ski slopes in the trees, a true “jungle gym” for all ages, strengths, and adventure levels. This is made possible by a technology called “smart belays” designed to as-sure guests are attached to safety systems at all times and they cannot

detach themselves from the system until they have completed the aerial trail of their choice and are back on the ground. Some of the ele-ments found on the treetop trails include a cargo net climb, sever-al swinging bridges, and a treetop sliding board into a zipline. The park is designed for participants of average mobility and strength, who are in reasonably good health. This activity includes roundtrip transportation, professional guides, all safety equipment, snacks, bottled water, and a gourmet box lunch with assorted beverages. More detailed information may be found on the Activities sign up form on the USA Peanut Congress web page.

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The 2016 IPF will take place at the NH Collection Hotel in Madrid, Spain dur-ing Wednesday 13th – Friday 15th April 2016.

Centrally located in the heart of Madrid, the NH Collection Eurobuilding hotel sits amid the city’s most emblematic buildings (Picasso Tower, Kio Towers, Azca Center) and is a five-minute walk from the Berna-

beau Stadium, home to Real Madrid football club. A dedicated website will shortly be available where you will be able to book your accommodation at specially ne-gotiated rates. The hotel will also honor those rates pre & post the IPF for those wishing to extend their stay.

This biennial meeting is the only inter-national meeting devoted entirely to peanuts, and brings together the world’s peanut industry, including all major pro-ducing countries, importers, brokers, dealers, shellers, manufacturers and ser-vice providers such as equipment suppli-ers and laboratories. We anticipate that the 2016 IPF will attract over 300 indus-try members from 25 countries or more, and it will once again provide a balance of conference presentations and networking social events. It is a very cost-effective way to see customers and suppliers in one venue at one time so make sure to save the dates so that you can be part of this important industry event.

More information on the event will be post-ed thoughout the year, but if you missed the 2014 IPF and would like to get an idea of what it was all about, please review our short video at: http://www.peanutsusa.com/ipf2014.html

2016 INTERNATIONAL PEANUT FORUM – SAVE THE DATES!

INTERNATIONALPEANUT FORUM

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Caleb Bristow of Henry County is the new executive director for the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, an affiliate of the Alabama Farmers Federation. His first official day was Feb. 16, however he was introduced to peanut farmers at the APPA Annual Meeting in Dothan Feb. 12. Federation Governmental and Agricultural Programs Director Brian Hardin said Bristow’s strong work ethic was developed growing up on a family farm in Columbia, Alabama.

“We are fortunate and thrilled to have Caleb join the APPA and the Federation family,” Hardin said. “He will provide excellent leadership with his natural talents. Caleb is a smart, hard worker who has a great ability to connect with people and make them feel comfortable.” Bristow’s family raises nearly 3,000 acres of peanuts and cotton and has a herd of beef cows. He is a two-time Auburn University graduate, earning his master’s degree in agronomy (weed science) in 2012 and his bachelor’s in agronomy and soils in 2010.

Bristow said the Federation’s reputation as a conservative, family-friendly organization that represents farmers on a state and national level, were among the things that attracted him to the career move. But mostly, he said, it was an opportunity for him to help farmers. “I am very excited about this opportunity,” Bristow said. “I am ready to work not only with farmers, but also for farmers.” In addition to working with farmers to help improve their livelihoods, Bristow said he would also be a “peanut promoter.” “Peanut farmers produce a delicious, healthy food that is safe and affordable,” Bristow said. “Helping encourage consumers to eat more of what our farmers grow is an exciting opportunity I’m looking forward to.”

APPA President Carl Sanders said Bristow represents the future of peanut farming. “Caleb’s energy and enthusiasm will serve farmers well as we navigate a new farm bill and spring planting begins,” Sanders said. “His first-hand knowledge of the peanut industry will allow him to understand what our farmers need and help them get it.” Hardin and Sanders both praised the work done by Jim Cravey, who has served as APPA interim executive director for more than a year. Cravey, who retired from the Federation in 2006 as Commodity

Department Director, will continue to work for APPA through Bristow’s transition. Bristow, 26, and his wife, Freda, live in Headland. He previously was a manager and salesman for Kelly Ag in Headland and is a member of Gamma Sigma Delta, Auburn’s Honor Society of Agriculture. He can be reached at the APPA office in Dothan at CBristow@AlPeanuts.com or (334) 792-6482.

CALEB BRISTOW BECOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF APPA

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PEANUT INSURANCE, MARKET OUTLOOK MEETING FOR FARMERSTexas Peanut Producers Board host in Seminole

Approximately 75 farmers gathered in Seminole last month on Feb. 10 to join the Texas Peanut Producers Board and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for an indus-try meeting featuring speakers reviewing the peanut insurance provisions under the new farm bill, and offer an outlook for the industry.

The free event, which was made possible by the state’s peanut check-off, offered the perspec-tives of notable speakers Keith Schumann, Agri-Logic Consulting’s vice president for quantita-tive analysis, and Mar-shall Lamb, Ph.D., the supervisory research food technologist for

the National Peanut Research Laboratory.

Schumann played an integral role in the development of the peanut insurance provisions under the Agriculture Act of 2014, or the farm bill. He provided insight and guidance for peanut farmers regarding the changes in crop insurance they need to plan for this coming year.

Additionally, Lamb presented a market outlook for 2015 and 2016.

“Dr. Lamb is one of the most knowledgeable peanut market men I’ve ever known and it’s a huge privilege to have him in Texas for this meeting,” TPPB Executive Director Shelly Nutt said. “While he really knows his stuff and provided excellent information, he was also an entertaining speaker.”

TPPB also held a nominations election to select two nominees each for member and al-ternate to the National Peanut Board. Eligible peanut farmers nominated Peter Froese Jr. of Seminole as first choice delegate and Otis Lee Johnson of Seminole as second choice delegate. Robert “Bob” White of Clarendon was nominated first choice alternate and Jeff Roper of Lubbock as second choice alternate. Currently, White is the Texas NPB member and Froese serves as the alternate. The term for the current Texas board member and alternate expires Dec. 31, 2015.

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SOUTHERN PEANUT GROWERS CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE - JUNE 30, 2015

Mark your calendars for the 17th Annual South-ern Peanut Growers Conference, July 23-25, 2015, at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia. This year’s conference offers farmers an opportunity to learn more about legislative issues, market growth and production issues. The registration deadline is June 30th. The registration fee increases by $50 on July 1st.

Register Online Download Registration FormDownload Conference Info and Local AttractionsVisit the Callaway Gardens Website

SPONSORS INFO If you’re looking for the best place to promote your company’s products and services, this is the place to be: the 17th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. This annual event brings peanut farmers and industry representatives to Georgia for a three-day conference focusing on peanut production and research, legislative issues and more. Through your par-ticipation as a sponsor, you are able to build important relationships with farmers and provide them with infor-mation on your products and/or services. We hope you will plan to participate as a sponsor and become part of this important agricultural event!

For additional information on sponsorship, contact Joy Purvis at joypurvis@gapeanuts.com or 229-386-3471. THINGS TO DO AT CALLAWAY GARDENS

There are a number of activities for families at Cal-laway Gardens ranging from relaxation to recre-ation. Callaway Gardens offers an award winning spa, numerous beautiful gardens to explore and the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, which is one of North America’s largest conservatories. If you are searching for entertainment for the entire family be sure to check out the Birds of Prey show, Florida State University’s Flying High Circus or Robin Lake

Beach where the entire family can enjoy shuffleboard, mini golf, paddle boats, water ski-ing and more. Callaway Gardens also offers two 18-hole championship golf courses, ten-nis courts, bicycle and nature walking trails, as well as the tree-top adventure zip-lining course. There is definitely something for everyone at Callaway Gardens!

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APC NewsletterSOUTHERN PEANUT GROWERS CONFERENCE, continued

LOCAL AREA ATTRACTIONS

Home to Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain is less than three miles from the resort and provides opportunities for shopping, dining and recreation! Antique shops, boutiques and cafes are just a few things you will find. Not to mention, Georgia’s largest state park: FDR State Park. If you decide to venture further, check out some of the other great activities at these nearby towns including Columbus, Warm Springs, Plains and Ander-sonville. The nearby towns offer additional shopping, museums and whitewater rafting. The towns also offer these historic sites: President Roosevelt’s Little White House (Warm Springs), President Jimmy Carter’s Boy-hood Farm (Plains), Camp Sumter Confederate POW Camp (Andersonville).

CHOWAN COUNTY TO GAIN 78 NEW JOBS WITH EXPANSION OF JIMBO’S JUMBOS, INC.

Governor Pat McCrory, N.C. Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla III and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. announced today that Jimbo’s Jumbos, Inc. will ex-pand its operations in Chowan County and create 78 new jobs over the next three years. The company plans to invest $30 million in the city of Edenton over the same period. “Peanuts are one of our state’s traditional crops, with North Carolina peanuts and peanut products being shipped all over the world for people to enjoy,” said Governor McCrory. “North Carolina is one of the top states in the nation in peanut production and exported more than $12 million in peanuts last year.” Headquartered in Edenton, NC, Jimbo’s Jumbos is a manufacturer of peanut products in-cluding roasted and salted peanuts in the shell, peanut butter, granulated peanuts, oil roasted and dry roasted peanuts. The company currently has 208 employees in Chowan County. Jimbo’s Jumbos is part of the Hampton Farms family of companies. “Americans consume more than 12 pounds of peanuts per person each year,” said Sec-retary Skvarla. “This expansion by Jimbo’s Jumbos will help make sure there are enough North Carolina peanuts available to meet the growing demand.” Salaries will vary by job but will include fork lift drivers, quality control, manufacturing su-pervisors and office clerical. The average annual payroll will exceed $2.4 million. “As more people have become aware of the great nutritional value of peanuts, customer demand has been increasing steadily,” said Hal Burns, general manager of the Jimbo’s Jum-

bos division. “This expansion here in Edenton is neces-sary for us to keep up with that demand.” The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund of up to $156,000. The One NC Fund provides financial assis-tance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up

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CHOWAN COUNTY TO GAIN 78 NEW JOBS WITH EXPANSION OF JIMBO’S JUMBOS, INC., continuedfront and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches. On December 27, 2013, Governor McCrory pardoned Linwood Paul Britton, a longtime employee of Jimbo’s Jumbos, Inc. Britton started with the company 35 years ago in a work release program when he was an inmate at the correctional institution in Elizabeth City and is now Vice President of Operations. Britton took the lead on planning today’s an-nouncement and runs the plant in Edenton along with two others. “This is such a great and heartwarming story. When I first talked to Paul by phone two days before Christmas in 2013, I was thoroughly impressed with his story and continued to be impressed as he takes this opportunity and makes the best of it,” continued Governor Mc-Crory. “This is welcome news for Edenton and the Chowan County com-munity,” said Representative Bob Steinburg. “I look forward to working with Governor McCrory to bring even more jobs to our area in the future.” “Congratulations to Jimbo’s Jumbos for deciding to make this in-vestment in Chowan County,” said Senator Erica Smith-Ingram. “This expansion and the new jobs it will create will have a large economic impact on our area.” In addition to the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Eco-nomic Development Partnership of N.C., other partners that helped with this project include: North Carolina Community Col-lege System, College of the Albemarle, NCDOT, the Edenton Chowan Partnership, the Town of Edenton and Chowan County.

ROKA BIOSCIENCE LAUNCHES WHITE PAPER ON THE DETECTION OF SAL-MONELLA IN PEANUT PRODUCTS

Roka Bioscience, Inc., (NASDAQ: ROKA) a molecular diagnostics company focused on providing advanced testing solutions for the detection of foodborne pathogens, today announced the launch of a white paper on the detection of Salmonella in peanut prod-ucts, a topic that has brought much concern to industry professionals and consumers alike as a result of several recent peanut-related Salmonella outbreaks.

“Despite rapid improvements in technology and process controls, the incidence of Salmo-nella infection has not declined for nearly a decade,” said Dr. Erin Dreyling, Director, Gov-

ernment & Scientific Affairs, at Roka Biosci-ence. “We have developed this white paper to address the dangerous threat Salmonella poses to our global food supply, and highlight the importance of choosing a testing solution and method that minimizes the risk for error in pathogen detection.”

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Peanut products pose a unique threat because there are several ways in which they can become contaminated, including after the roasting process by water or other vectors where the pathogen can survive for at least six months in peanut butter. As a result, it is critical to establish a strict food safety system and ensure the effectiveness of process controls. An acceptable test method should meet the following criteria:• Validation • Sensitivity and specificity• Time to result• Error reduction and lab efficiency

For more information, and to download a complimentary copy of the white paper on the Detection of Salmonella in Peanut Products, please click here. To learn more about Roka’s pathogen detection solutions, please visit www.rokabio.com.

About Roka BioscienceRoka Bioscience is a molecular diagnostics company focused on developing and commer-cializing advanced testing solutions for the food safety testing market. Our Atlas Detec-tion Assays incorporate our advanced molecular technologies and are performed on our “sample-in, result-out” Atlas System that automates all aspects of molecular diagnostic testing on a single, integrated platform. The Atlas System and Detection Assays are de-signed to provide our customers with accurate and rapid test results with reduced labor costs and improved laboratory efficiencies.For more information about Roka Bioscience and its Salmonella enterica detection as-says, please visit www.rokabio.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Face-book.

ROKA BIOSCIENCE LAUNCHES WHITE PAPER ON THE DETECTION OF SALMO-NELLA IN PEANUT PRODUCTSMONELLA IN PEANUT PRODUCTS, continued

USDA-FSA OFFERS GROWERS RELIEF THROUGH SPECIAL STORAGE AGREE-MENT: National Peanut Board, State Peanut Producer Organizations Col-laborate with USDA to Develop Solution for Stored Peanuts Following Texo-ma Peanut Co. Bankruptcy

The November 2014 bankruptcy of the U.S. peanut processor Clint Williams Company, an affiliate of the Texoma Peanut Company, had the potential to devastate the peanut industry in the Southwest; voiding the contracts peanut farmers had with the company. “Producers in Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas were being asked to forfeit marketing loans without a ready market for their 2014 crop,” said Bob White, chairman of National Peanut Board and peanut farmer from Quail, Texas. “We all know farming has enough inherent risks without added concern over buyers not being able to honor agreements.”

Faced with the strong possibility of financial hardship, National Peanut Board, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association, Oklahoma Peanut Commission, Texas Peanut Producers Board, Western Peanut Growers Association and Southern Peanut Farmers Federation joined forces to request that USDA-FSA help protect producers by:

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1. Slowing down the acceleration of the repayment of loans to allow for an orderly marketing process for their 2014 peanut crop;2. Giving growers relief on in-charges and inspection charges;3. Working out an agreement with the shelling companies acquiring Texoma Peanut Company on liability and risk of loss.

As a solution, USDA-FSA recently proposed a Special Storage Agreement (SSA) with companies that are assuming ownership and operation of former Texoma facilities. USDA reduced the loan repayment rate for Segregation I peanuts stored under Texoma Warehouse License by $100 per ton for a specific time period; from March 25, 2015 until midnight June 30, 2015.

“We are appreciative of the tremendous efforts USDA-FSA provided to bring relief to farmers and create a smooth transition as new buyers assume operations,” said Bob Parker, National Peanut Board’s president & CEO. “There was also great collaboration among the various industry organizations who represent the best interests of farmers.”Now, peanut farmers affected by the transition have two options. He or she may choose to forfeit the peanuts and incur no further liability. Or, the grower may choose to sell the peanuts and repay the loan at a reduced rate. USDA outlined a five-step process for loan repayment:

1. The grower repays the loan at an amount reduced by $100.2. The grower repays the in-handling charge of $30 per ton. 3. The grower repays the incoming inspection fee.4. The grower pays any storage charges accrued from the effective date of the SSA. 5. The grower pays any charges related to the safekeeping of the peanuts from the effective date of the SSA.

The reduced loan repayment rate could possibly be limited by USDA-FSA program pay-ment limitations. Producers may incur additional charges (i.e., load-out charges), which may vary by location. After the loan and all charges are repaid, any remaining funds must be remitted to USDA. USDA will retain a portion of the funds to cover possible shortages not covered by the warehouse bond, while the producer will keep the re-maining money.

USDA-FSA OFFERS GROWERS RELIEF THROUGH SPECIAL STORAGE AGREE-MENT: National Peanut Board, State Peanut Producer Organizations Col-laborate with USDA to Develop Solution for Stored Peanuts Following Texo-ma Peanut Co. Bankruptcy, continued

eTDE

USDA-FAS has extended the eTDE funding for 6 more months in 2015. The fee system will be introduced during June to sustain eTDE past July. The fee should be a relatively small per document charge to the document provider. All major functions are working suc-cessfully with over 650,000 documents uploaded to date. Work is completed to address new software for both US and EU Aflatoxin software. Testing should be complete by the end of the month. Any aflatoxin lab that wants to use the software should contact Howard Valentine.

Japan and Canada are in discussion with the USDA-FAS to begin using the system in 2015. Discussions are continuing with Mexico to add their border crossings over the next few months.

All peanut exporters to the EU should now have access to an electronic copy of all docu-ments needed to enter major EU ports. There are 7 primary ports that are now testing these documents. They will require both a paper copy and an electronic copy for a few months 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 information please contact Steve Calhoun (calhoste@bellsouth.net).

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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

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THE PEANUT FOUNDATION

What an exciting time to have the honor of leading the Peanut Foundation. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead, but even more, I look forward to the landmark accomplishments that are sure to come due to previous research investments. We are on the verge of having a blueprint of the genetic code that makes that plant we all love unique from all other plants. This blueprint will allow researchers to find the specific genes that control the many traits that are important to the peanut industry. Manipulation of those traits promises to improve virtually every aspect of growing and processing peanuts, as well as making them more desirable and healthy for consumers. All of this is being accomplished without using controversial GMO techniques. The next few years will begin an unprecedented era of peanut breeding, but it can’t begin without the completion of that blueprint.

Recently, Hudson-Alpha provided a progress report on their efforts to construct the tet-raploid (cultivated peanut) genome and further refine the previously sequenced diploids (wild type peanuts that contribute to the tetraploid genome). They project having com-pleted data collection on the tetraploid by the end of April when the full data set will be made available. They will also complete data collection on the diploid species by the end of May. Assembly and analysis for the tetraploid will continue through June.

TOTE BAGS

A draft copy of the revised APC totebag specifications with the addition of elongation of the bags and polypropylene fraze specifications has been sent to Taskforce members. Additionally, a Certificate of Analysis (COA) has been developed. Several new additional changes to the current specifications were proposed by Co-chairs Crozier & Rhonda Star-ling. These will be circulated among most totebag manufacturers and shellers. A follow up conference call will be held in late March to finalize the changes to the APC Totebag Specifications. The revised standard will then be forwarded to the APC Board for final approval.

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).

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The Peanut Foundation Board of Directors has voted to invest in an additional and com-plimentary effort to be conducted by DoveTail Genomics. DoveTail will attempt to utilize a new assembly technique that has never been used on plant species but has an excellent chance to add to the quality of the assembly. The better the blueprint, the more useful it will be.

These achievements are due to gener-ous contributions from all segments of the peanut industry. We have recently been invoicing for 2015 installments to previous pledges and greatly appreci-ate the continued commitment. We have also been awarding new grants to researchers. Most of these grants are keenly focused on finishing that blue-printing project and identifying genes that we can use in future peanut breeding efforts.

When you have the opportunity, thank Howard Valentine for his many years of service to the Foundation. Many of the accomplishments that lie ahead were initiated during his time as Executive Director. I’m especially appreciative for Howard’s guidance and experi-ence as he continues to help me get up to speed during this transition period.

Steve Brown

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), oil-seeds (0.10mg/kg), sweet corn (0.10mg/kg) and fruiting vegetables other than sweet corn (0.05mg/kg).

Source: European Snack Association

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PEANUT FOUNDATION, continued

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EFSA has developed an interactive report that lets you drill down past the headline figures to find out more about the samples analysed and pesticide residues in food in 2013. The majority of samples (68.2%) were taken from food originating in Europe, with 27.7% coming from food imported from third countries. The percentage of samples from third countries exceeding legal limits was higher (5.7%) than for EU countries (1.4%). Howev-er, exceedance rates for imported food have fallen by nearly two percentage points (from 7.5%) since 2012.

For the EU co-ordinated programme, the reporting states tested 11,582 samples from 12 food products – apples, head cabbage, leek, lettuce, peaches, rye, oats, strawberries, to-matoes, cow’s milk, swine meat and wine. The results showed that 99.1% of the samples contained residue levels within permissible limits and almost 53% contained no measur-able residues.

Compared with the results for 2010, when the same food products – excluding wine – were tested, the percentage of samples exceeding the legal limits has fallen for all food products tested.

EFSA used the data from the EU co-ordinated programme to assess whether current dietary exposure to pesticide residues presented a risk to human health in the long term (chronic) or short term (acute). The Authority concluded that the presence of pesticide residues in food was unlikely to have a long-term effect on consumer health. For short-term exposure, the risk of European citizens being exposed to harmful levels of residues via their diet was rated as low.

2013 PESTICIDES RESIDUE REPORT AT A GLANCE

OVER 97% OF FOODS IN EU CONTAIN PESTICIDE RESIDUES WITHIN LEGAL LIMITS

More than 97% of food samples evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) contain pesticide residue levels that fall within legal limits, with just under 55% of samples free of detectable traces of these chemicals. The findings are part of EFSA’s 2013 annual report on pesticide residues in food, which includes the results for almost 81,000 food samples from 27 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway.The 29 reporting countries carry out two monitoring programmes for the report: a national programme designed by each country, and an EU-coordinated programme under which all food control authorities monitor the same “basket” of food products. A combined total of 80,967 samples of a wide variety of processed and unprocessed food products were tested for the presence of 685 pesticides. The main findings are:• 97.4% of the samples analysed fell within legal limits;• 54.6% were free of detectable residues;• 1.5% clearly exceeded the legal limits, taking into account the measurement uncer tainty, thus triggering legal or administrative sanctions against the food business operators responsible;• Residues of more than one pesticide (multiple residues) were found in 27.3% of samples.

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NICKEL CONTENT SURVEY IN EU

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has published a Scientific Opinion on the risks to public health related to the presence of nickel in food and drinking water (see attach-ment), as well as a scientific report on Collate literature data on toxicity of Chromium (Cr) and Nickel (Ni) in experimental animals and humans (also attached). In general, food was reported to contain Ni at concentrations less than 0.5 mg/kg. The highest mean concentrations of Ni have been measured in wild growing edible mushrooms, cocoa or cocoa-based products (containing >10mg/kg dry weight), beans, seeds, nuts and grains (e.g. cocoa beans, 9.8mg/kg; soybeans, 5.2mg/kg; soya products, 5.1mg/kg; walnuts, 3.6mg/kg; peanuts, 2.8mg/kg; oats,2.3 mg/kg; buckwheat, 2.0mg/kg; and oatmeal,1.8 mg/kg).

Overall, the main contributors to the dietary exposure to Ni across the different dietary sur-veys and age classes were ‘Grain and grain-based products’, ‘Non-alcoholic beverages (except milk-based beverages)’, ‘Sugar and confectionery’, ‘Legumes, nuts and oilseeds’, and ‘Vegeta-bles and vegetable products (including fungi)’. ‘Milk and dairy products’ were also important contributors to the dietary exposure to Ni in the young population, in particular in toddlers.

The previous EFSA draft opinion proposed a TDI of 0.9µg/kg (extremely low compared to the TDI recommended by the WHO (12µg/kg). No TDI is proposed in the final version.

The Nickel Institute – the global association of the world's primary nickel producers – has so-licited the opinion of an independent scientific expert to look into the chronic value (2.8 ug/kg per day) and the acute value (1.1 ug/kg per day) found by the Scientific Opinion. Nickel is essential to all plants and can be found in all their tissues, therefore Ni levels in fruits and vegetables cannot be reduced. Ni in food is present in complex organic molecules and it is not 100% bioavailable (i.e. not all the Ni present is absorbed).

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NUTRITION NEWS YOU CAN USE with Dr. Andrew Craig

What is LEAP?“Learning Early about Peanut Allergy” (LEAP) is a randomised and controlled five-year clinical intervention trial based in London, UK, which reported initial results in 2015. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 26 February 2015 as “Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy” with an accompanying editorial “Preventing Peanut Allergy through Early Consumption — Ready for Prime Time?” In the same issue there is a short video explaining the study and its re-sults in graphic form. This material is in the public domain and can be freely downloaded at www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1414850

What is LEAP’s key finding?The study’s bottom line is the cause and effect demonstration that consumption of a snack containing peanut protein (Bamba) or peanut butter by infants who are at high-risk for developing peanut allergy prevents the subsequent development of allergy in a very high percentage. Put another way, early dietary exposure to peanut allergen was shown to pro-mote the development of tolerance to peanuts by the child’s developing immune system and is highly effective in preventing allergic reactions to peanuts in later life for this high risk group. The intervention used in LEAP was safe, well-tolerated and, most important of all, highly effective. At age 5, peanut consumption was associated with an 86% reduction in peanut allergy among children testing negative for peanut sensitisation when the study began and with a 70% reduction in peanut allergy among those who had had positive skin-prick test results at study entry. Lead investigator Prof. Gideon lack, King’s College London, said: “For decades allergists have been recommending that young infants avoid consuming allergenic foods such as peanut to prevent food allergies. Our findings suggest that this advice was incorrect and may have contributed to the rise in the peanut and other food allergies. … This is an important clinical development and contravenes previ-ous guidelines. Whilst these were withdrawn in 2008 in the UK and US, our study suggests that new guidelines may be needed to reduce the rate of peanut allergy in our children.”

Has the US peanut industry supported peanut allergy research including LEAP?Yes. National Peanut Board President and CEO Bob Parker said, “Research like LEAP, which demonstrates there are ways to reduce the risk of a child developing a peanut allergy, brings hope to families everywhere. … That is why U.S. peanut farmers – through the Na-tional Peanut Board – have contributed more than $12 million toward independent food allergy research, education and outreach worldwide over the past 15 years, and plan to continue to be part of the solution.” Some online comments have expressed concern that the peanut industry was involved in the LEAP funding. This support was fully disclosed in the study itself and the industry’s role has been put into perspective by a statement from FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) making it clear that the industry had no influence over the outcome: “ ….the vast majority of the study’s funding came from the National Institutes of Health and FARE. The National Peanut Board, a minority funder, was contractually prohibited from influencing any aspect of the study design or interpreta-tion of the results.” http://blog.foodallergy.org/2015/03/11/correcting-misconceptions-

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about-the-leap-study/ A complete list of funders can be found at end of the LEAP study itself published in NEJM.

Does LEAP mean peanut allergy has been cured?No. The study was about prevention of peanut allergy – not curing existing allergy – in a se-lected group of infants under 12 months of age who were at high risk of developing peanut allergy later in life because they had risk factors such as eczema and egg allergy. The study children were included because of these risk factors. Children without these risk factors or in whom it was thought peanut allergy had probably already developed because of the de-gree of their sensitisation to peanut, were excluded from the study. LEAP is not a treatment or a cure for existing peanut allergy in children. The findings are not applicable to adults. Dr. Andrew Clark, paediatric allergy specialist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge said: “[LEAP] challenges the way we think about first introduction of foods. In the past there was a lack of studies telling us what the best way was to avoid children having allergies. It was thought best you shouldn’t give children allergenic foods. That’s the whole dogma this study challenges. In a positive way I think it could mean we can improve the way we feed infants to reduce the number of food allergies in the future.”

Did consuming peanut protein work for all of the children in the LEAP study?No, but it did create tolerance (known as “unresponsiveness”) to peanut protein in a high percentage of at risk infants. Of those avoiding peanut during the trial, about 17% had be-come peanut allergic by age five. However, of the group eating peanut every week, only 3% were allergic to peanut by age five. It is important to remember that these were all high risk infants, not the general population. LEAP was a very well designed and safe intervention. Ninety-eight percent of the children remained in the study until the end when they were five years old. Only one child needed epinephrine (adrenalin) and any reactions which did occur were mild to moderate. It has to be stressed that these are prevention outcomes. LEAP was not a study looking at treatment of children with peanut allergy and its results have nothing to say about a “cure” for peanut allergy or the treatment of anyone who has had prior allergic reactions to peanuts.

Could the approach used in the LEAP study be used to treat peanut allergy?As LEAP is refined for clinical practice, it may be possible to identify and build up tolerance to peanut in high risk young children by introducing peanut products such as peanut butter into their diet from an early stage. This is primary prevention. For those already with es-tablished peanut allergy, there are experimental treatments which may become available in the future. These include oral immunotherapy (OIT) and skin patch technology (epicu-taneous immunotherapy), both of which have been shown to create tolerance in some individuals by introducing increasing doses of peanut allergen.

Do the LEAP results have implications for preventing allergies to other foods?While LEAP was exclusively about peanut allergy, the approach it used is reflected in a study of early introduction of other foods called EAT – “Enquiring About Tolerance”. This is testing the hypothesis that the introduction of six allergenic foods (fish, egg, dairy prod-ucts, wheat, sesame and peanut) into the diet of infants from 3 months of age, alongside continued breastfeeding, results in a reduced prevalence of food allergies by 3 years of age.

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The EAT study is expected to report in September 2015. www.eatstudy.co.uk/eat-study-info

Is the tolerance to peanut allergen shown in the LEAP results permanent, or will it need “topping up” in these children from time to time?This is not known at the moment, but a 12 month follow-on study, called “LEAP-On” should have the answer in about February 2016. In LEAP-On, the participants from LEAP who ate peanut and did not become allergic will stop eating peanut completely and undergo a pea-nut food challenge 12 months later. This will show if the “unresponsiveness” lasts or not.

The study talks about “consuming peanut”. Is this just another way of saying “children eat-ing peanuts” or “feeding children peanuts”?No and the difference is important. Some media reports talked about “babies eating pea-nuts” or “feeding peanuts to babies” both of which are misleading and potentially danger-ous. The LEAP trial used peanut protein contained in peanut products, such as the puffed snack food Bamba (see below) or smooth peanut butter, which were eaten in a supervised clinical setting and all the children were skin prick tested for peanut sensitivity before being enrolled in the study. That is what “consuming peanut” means in the context of the LEAP study. LEAP did not use whole peanuts because of the danger of very young children choking on them. Nor did it imply that consumption could be done outside of a supervised clinical setting. Some media reports are dangerously misleading by implying that LEAP gives permis-sion for parents to start feeding whole peanuts to very young children or to introduce pea-nut products to high risk children who have not been screened to determine their degree of sensitivity. Dr James Baker, CEO of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) said, “Parents should not simply hear a “consume peanut” message. We hope that parents understand this isn’t something you do without consulting a physician and making absolutely sure the child is not allergic first,”

Some media reports about LEAP use the expression “exposing children early to peanuts”. What does that mean and is it an accurate description of what happened in LEAP?The phrase is ambiguous and should not be used as it does not describe what happened in the LEAP trial. It is known that exposure via direct skin contact to protein containing peanut particles or residues can result in sensitisation to peanut in very young children if the skin barrier is compromised, eg if a child has eczema. LEAP was about the consumption of peanut protein by eating it so that it was absorbed through the gut not through the skin. “Exposure”, therefore, is not a good word to use in connection with LEAP, but if it is used it must always be made clear that “dietary exposure”, ie consuming by eating, is meant.

What is the snack Bamba and why was it used in the LEAP trial?“Bamba” is the brand name of a popular snack product in Israel, eaten by virtually every-one from an early age. It is a puffed maize snack product containing peanut butter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamba_%28snack%29 . The LEAP trial used 25g (1oz) packs of Bamba. 17g or 2/3 of the Bamba pack provided 2g peanut protein, and the children consumed this 3 times per week. Bamba was used because an observational study in 2008 (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19000582) found that Israeli children have lower rates of peanut allergy compared to Jewish children in the UK of similar ancestry. The Israeli children began con-

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suming peanut-containing foods, particularly Bamba, very early in life. LEAP therefore in-vestigated the hypothesis that the very low rates of peanut allergy in Israeli children were a result of high levels of peanut consumption beginning in infancy. The Israeli children con-sumed about 6-8g of peanut protein per week, so that was used as the upper limit in the LEAP study. It isn’t known what would have happened if more or less than that amount had been consumed. For children in the LEAP trial who did not like Bamba, equivalent amounts of smooth peanut butter were used instead to achieve the same effect.

Could putting peanut flour or smooth peanut butter into weaning foods for babies be a way to achieve this result achieved by LEAP?This has been suggested as an alternative to consuming Bamba or peanut butter, but it will depend on how the guidelines about childhood allergy and about weaning and breastfeed-ing are revised in the light of the LEAP findings and also the EAT study findings. Getting the “dose” and the feeding frequency right are important. But it is possible that new products along these lines could be developed once the revised guidelines are available.

LEAP studied high-risk children living in Britain, so are the findings applicable to children in other countries?LEAP included 640 high risk infants under 12 months old. Having an egg allergy or eczema typically means a 15-20% chance of developing peanut allergy later. This number was cho-sen to give statistical robustness to the study. If the group had been drawn from the gen-eral population, the numbers needed for the study would have been several thousand and thus unmanageable over five years. All infants were screened using a peanut protein skin prick test to identify those already showing signs of an allergic reaction. Those with large wheals (areas of raised or reddened skin >4mm diameter) were excluded from the study because they probably already had a peanut allergy. Those with slight wheals (< 4mm) were included in LEAP, but analysed separately to those showing no skin reaction. The LEAP study children were all living in the United Kingdom and predominantly white with eczema and/or egg allergy. Geography and ethnicity must be considered before extrapolating the results to other populations, for example older children or African-American or Hispanic infants in the US or infants with multiple food allergies. However, the investigators have stated that subgroup analyses of the data of Black and Asian children in LEAP suggests that the inter-vention works regardless of ethnicity.

Are clinical skills at the right level to identify children at high risk of developing peanut allergy so parents can be advised what steps to take?Skill levels and access to clinicians with allergy expertise are real concerns for the LEAP team. Investigator Dr. George du Toit, King’s College London and Guy’s and Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said, “We believe there’s an urgent need for clinicians to be skilled in identifying the at-risk population. This means a basic knowledge about atopic eczema, egg allergy, and milk allergy, which are all risk factors for peanut allergy, and then of course skin-prick testing, which in the LEAP study we found to be invaluable for dissecting risk catego-ries. Worldwide, not all patients — in fact a real minority of allergic patients — have access to even those basic diagnostic skills.”

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Does the LEAP finding about preventing peanut allergy mean that educational approach-es to food allergy management in schools and other settings will not be as important in the future?No and in many ways these initiatives will become even more important. Encouraging as LEAP is for the future, no one should be under any illusion that LEAP’s findings mean that peanut allergy is no longer a serious issue for many individuals who are already allergic. The need for allergy-safe and evidence-based management practices – particularly in schools and other settings where children are present - and the provision of accurate information to food allergic consumers has not gone away because of LEAP. In many ways the need for these things will become more urgent and the American peanut industry will continue to support such initiatives. We want the 98% of the population who are not peanut allergic to be able to enjoy peanut products without food bans and restrictions while the 2% or thereabouts of the population who may have an allergy to peanuts can be safe and well-informed.

What are some reliable online sources of information about LEAP and its implications?There is no substitute for reading the published study and the accompanying editorial in NEJM. In addition, LEAP team members and other leading paediatric allergy specialists and patientled bodies have discussed the findings widely. Below are links to some of online sources which are reliable and which also correct some of the misunderstandings which may develop around the study and its implications.

Anaphylaxis Campaign www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/living-with-anaphylaxis/news/new-study-finds-peanut-consumption-can-protect-infants-at-risk-of-developing-peanut-allergy

FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) http://blog.foodallergy.org/2015/03/09/fol-low-upon-the-leap-study-qa-with-fare-ceo-james-r-baker-jr-md/

Scientific American www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-peanut-allergies-beprevented/?WT.mc_id=SA_Twitter

Huffington Post http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/new-study-claims-eating-pea-nuts-asinfant-prevents-peanut-allergy/54e7b38d78c90a8ed1000a51

NHS Choices www.nhs.uk/news/2015/02February/Pages/peanut-butter-for-non-aller-gicbabies-may-help-reduce-later-allergies.aspx

National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov/news/health/feb2015/niaid-23.htm

Medscape www.medscape.com/viewarticle/840336?nlid=77043_2843&src=wnl_edit_dail&uac=11056SK

AsthmaAllergiesChildren.com http://asthmaallergieschildren.com/2015/02/25/breaking-downthe-landmark-leap-study-what-does-it-mean/

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MORE PEANUTS IN THE DIET COULD REDUCE PREMATURE DEATH IN THE WORLD’S POOREST

That striking headline was the way the British daily paper The Independent reported on the pub-lic health implications of a Chinese/US study looking at the relationship between nut consump-tion and health – especially cardiovascular health - of large, mainly lower socio-economic groups in both the United States and China. The study’s findings support the view that peanuts can “help us to live longer at an affordable price” because – as an accompanying editorial in JAMA Internal Med-icine said – “peanuts are cheap and ubiquitous (and can be ground into delicious peanut butter!)”

The study looked at the nut eating habits of people in three large cohorts in terms of their overall mortality and the incidence of specific diseases. These included 71,764 male and female US resi-dents of African-American (2/3rds) and European descent who were participants in the Southern Community Cohort Study 2002 to 2009, and two Chinese cohorts: 134, 265 participants in the Shanghai Women’s Health Study 1996 to 2000 and the Shanghai Men’s Health Study 2002 to 2006.

In the US group, peanut consumption accounted for about half of the nuts eaten and for vir-tually all of the nuts consumed by the Chinese groups. That means the “peanut effect” was very strong in the results. The analysis of deaths and disease took account of factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Importantly, the majority of peo-ple studied fell into lower socio-economic categories in terms of income, education and oth-er factors which makes them quite different from people studied in other nut consumption studies who tended to be better-off individuals predominantly of white European descent.

The analysis found that American men and women consuming the most peanuts experienced a 21% reduction in the risk of death compared to those who did not regularly eat peanuts or nuts, while in the Chinese groups there was a 17% reduction in mortality. Commenting on this result, senior investigator Prof. Xiao-Ou Shu of Vanderbilt University said, "In our study, we found that peanut consumption was associated with reduced total mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality in a predominantly low-income black and white population in the U.S., and among Chi-nese men and women living in Shanghai.” She put this down to the fact that "Nuts are rich in nutrients, such as unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, phenolic antioxidants, arginine and other phytochemicals. All of them are known to be beneficial to cardiovascular health, probably through their anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and endothelial function maintenance properties."

The prominence of peanuts in the three cohorts (especially the Chinese groups) led many re-ports to focus on the public health nutrition implications for at risk people of all races worldwide, as in the story from The Independent above. The professional news service Medscape wrote “Praise for Peanuts: Humble Legume Linked to CV Health, Survival in China, Southern US Co-horts” . A Harvard health newsletter headlined “Peanuts linked to same heart, longevity ben-efits as more pricey nuts” and added in its feature that “eating peanuts appears to be just as potent for preventing heart disease as eating other nuts. Since peanuts generally cost less than premium tree nuts, people on lower incomes can reap the health benefits of nuts on a budget.”

Ref: Luu HN et al, 2015. “ Prospective Evaluation of the Association of Nut/Peanut Consumption With Total and Cause-Specific Mortality” JAMA InternMed doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8347 Pub-lished online March 2, 2015. The study was funded by the US National Cancer Institute. Editorial by Katz MH, 2015, “Live Longer…for Peanuts” JAMA InternMed doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8350

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THE AMERICAN PEANUT COUNCIL CELEBRATES 75 YEARS!

The APC was incorporated in 1940, and has been serving as a forum for peanut industry members ever since. Look for a special celebration at the USA Peanut Congress in Asheville and another at our December meeting in Atlanta to mark this mo-mentous occasion. A special memory book commemorating the history of the organization will be available at the end of 2015. To make sure the book is as comprehensive as possible we would appreciate your input. If you have photos or other memorabilia please send by email to edavies@peanutsusa.com. If you have actual photos to share, please mail them in a flat package and we will scan and return. Make sure to identify your pictures, and let us know dates as closely as is possible. Thanks for your assistance.