Brewers adhere to strict standards

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Published: March 9, 2000

Brewers are among the world’s most exacting customers.

One reason for this fussines is that while beer making is a high tech industry, many brewers cling to traditions dating back to Bavarian brewing laws written 500 years ago.

Industry consolidation is another factor, said Blair Louden, who procures malting barley in Canada for ConAgra Ltd.

A single company may brew 30 different types of beer and every vat must be perfect, Louder said at the Western Canadian Barley Growers Association’s annual convention in Calgary.

Brewers emphasize brand loyalty, product quality and consistency above all. Their specifications for grain and malt are extremely tight.

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For example, companies selling malt to Japan must test for 72 pesticide residues.

Half of those chemicals are not licensed in Canada.

An example of strict product guardianship is a trade assurance scheme for grain in the United Kingdom.

The program started in the early 1990s because of concern over the type of chemicals used on farm-stored grain.

When bovine spongiform encephalopathy was traced back to animal feed, the grain program became more diligent.

It is a paper blizzard for farmers and allows processors to trace back and audit every farm product.

Under this scheme, grain companies have a code of conduct and code of practice for trucking and grain storage.

Everybody handling grain must be accredited and is subject to independent audits.

When grain arrives at a malting plant, there is paperwork to explain when and where it was seeded. The program documents soil analysis, fertilizer applications and chemical use.

The trucker must document what he hauled for the last three loads. Farmers must sign off on the cleanliness of the truck because it could have been used to carry animal byproducts.

Louden said North America has not paid enough attention to these audit systems.

An identity preserved system could be used as a sales feature. This kind of tracking system could be part of a production contract that acts like an admission ticket to some markets.

About the author

Ric Swihart

Freelance writer

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