Pearled Barley (1070)

OVERVIEW: Palouse Grain Grower’s, Inc. Pearled Barley is a non-formulated product. That is to say that barley is the only ingredient used in the production of the Pearled Barley. In addition, it is a dry process, so there is no water added to facilitate production, and barley is the only product processed on our production line or stored at the Pearled Barley Plant. Barley in itself is an allergen to some people, due to its gluten content and other characteristics common to whole grains. It is obviously the customer’s responsibility to be aware of their own allergic sensitivities. The most common food allergens that cause 90% of allergenic reactions are: milk, eggs, fish, crustacea, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, and soybeans. The only one of these that is grown or processed in this region is wheat. The Pearled Barley Plant receives and processes barley that has been harvested and transported by equipment that has also harvested and transported wheat and/or other agricultural commodities. Other commodities that are grown locally include dry green peas, lentils, garbanzo beans among others. CONTROL POLICIES: There are several ways that wheat could be introduced into the barley and cause a potential problem for allergic individuals. These include having volunteer wheat plants growing in amongst the barley in the field and consequently harvested along with the barley; incomplete cleaning of harvesting or trucking equipment when the farmer switches from a wheat field to a barley field; or accidental/incidental mixing that may occur if the barley is originating from a facility that stores both commodities. When the raw (field run) barley is delivered to the barley plant (from any source) the truck is sampled using an approved grain probe. A sample is taken from several locations in the loaded truck. The sample is carefully examined for overall quality, evidence of insect activity, and any wheat that may be present. Loads that show greater than 0.5% wheat by weight in the sample taken are subject to rejection for pearling. Most customers have an upper limit of .5% wheat in their final product, but not all. If wheat shows up as greater than .5% in the incoming sample, it may be possible to use it for a special customer at which time the barley is earmarked for this customer and stored separately from the other barley. The higher wheat percentage is noted on all paperwork and on the master bin chart. All the growers that deliver barley for potential pearling are asked to use extra care to clean their harvesting and transport equipment carefully when they switch from wheat to barley. They are aware of the allergen concern, and the possibility of having their barley rejected for high wheat content. In all cases, if the percentage of wheat in the incoming barley exceeds 1.0%, the barley is rejected for pearling and re-directed to another facility for further evaluation. As the final pearled barley is being sampled at the packaging stage, if wheat is detected at levels above tolerance, the product is set aside and marked with a HOLD label with the wheat percentage noted on the label. If the percentage is too high for use by any customer, the product is trucked to another facility for further evaluation. If the percentage is suitable for a special customer, the product is stored away from other finished product with the HOLD tag in place and the new information written on the tag. SIGNAGE and LABELING: All packaging labels carry the warning: Allergen Warning: May Contain Trace Amounts of Wheat. Also, there is prominent signage at the main office entrance to the Pearled Barley Plant warning of the possibility of trace amounts of wheat and/or wheat dust in the facility.

Grain / Cereal