A new rule proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which would restrict the sale of old grains as animal feed, has received harsh criticism from beer brewers.
Brewers would have to meet the same standards as livestock and pet-food manufacturers under the new rule, according to Fox News. They would have to use new sanitary handling procedures, record keeping and other processes for food safety.
Rich Norgrove, brewmaster of Bear Republic, said the rules would cost brewers a lot of money. He added that instead of using a more sustainable practice of feeding grains to livestock, brewers would be forced to dump them, Redding reported.
Bear Republic sells its spent grain to local ranches. The grain is used to feed cattle.
"Now the government wants to get involved," said Cheryl LaFranchi, rancher of Knight's Valley. "What are they going to do with it? Put it in a landfill?"
The agency said the new rule is part of a process of modernizing the way food safety systems are handled, Redding reported.
"This proposed regulation would help prevent foodborne illness in both animals and people," the FDA said.
Chris Thorne of the Beer Institute said once the FDA has all the information on how old grain is recycled, the agency will see the benefits of keeping that system, Fox News reported.
"This regulation is onerous and expensive, but really it's just unnecessary," Thorne said. "There has never been a single reported negative incidence with spent grain.
Colo. Senator Mark Udall warned on Monday that if the new rule is made official, brewers would have to get rid of spent grains at landfills, which would cost small breweries almost $43 million per year on average.
"Colorado's craft brewers are leading the way forward for their industry, creating some of the world's most innovative beers and sustainability practices," Udall said. "The FDA needs to ensure our food supply remains safe, but its new proposed rule may unjustifiably hurt Colorado's brewers and farmers."
