An amendment to Pasta specifications addresses shapes
The National Pasta Association government affairs committee jumped at the chance to start a dialogue about helping to rewrite the federal definition of pasta in the US, which had not been updated since it was written about 80 years earlier, when the US government embarked on a project to modernize the standards of identity for foods sold in the US.
At the group’s annual meeting on March 20, Tom V. Quinn, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Nuovo Pasta Productions Ltd., Stratford, Conn., who chairs the NPA government affairs committee, gave association members an update on the committee’s recent work on the standards.
For the benefit of the members and those working in this field, we felt it was time to review and update this, Mr. Quinn stated. Because macaroni noodles were the only thing available when it was written, there was no such thing as a pasta standard of identity (SOI).
According to Mr. Quinn, the Food and Drug Administration modernized the standards with a staff of ten to manage over 200 categories, thus they were appreciative of and responsive to the NPA’s advice.
He stated, “We controlled the knowledge, and that was really a benefit. They controlled the regulations.”
Four goals guided the NPA’s attempt to modernizing the standards:
to eliminate the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals in “enriched macaroni” and “enriched noodle” products while keeping the minimum amounts;
To allow reformulated macaroni and noodle products with designated ingredient lists;
to amend current guidelines to eliminate the need for shape in order to comply with SOI;
need to create an SOI for enriched durum flour and enriched semolina.
The NPA manufacturer members were significantly impacted financially by the upper limit on vitamin and mineral content because, as Mr. Quinn said, “you can only angle things so far, especially when you’re using fresh ingredients.” “It becomes problematic when there is a fixed amount of nutrients combined with uncontrollable weather and crops.”
The acceptance of different flour ingredients was prompted by shifting customer preferences for things like gluten-free and substitutes such lentils, chickpeas, and even artichokes.
“The NPA had identified more than 600 pasta shapes, but the current government standard had only three: macaroni, spaghetti, and vermicelli,” he said, explaining why the shape criterion was changed. “There was nothing else that qualified.”
All of the NPA’s approaches were well received by the FDA, which in certain instances asked for additional details, such as the nutritional levels that consistently surpass the current maximum. The administration said that in order to do rid of the form restriction, a public petition might be required. Regarding the use of substitute ingredients, the FDA stated that modified pasta products may be able to use labeling guidelines from its draft advice on the labeling of plant-based foods. Additionally, the FDA asked for a written justification of the NPA’s request in relation to an SOI for enriched semolina and durum flour.
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In order to guide the association’s involvement with the laws that regulate the industry, Mr. Quinn urged NPA members to become involved with the government affairs committee.
He stated, “There are ten to twelve spots on the committee, and there’s always room for one more.” “The greatest approach to get involved, if you’re seeking to get involved, is to get involved so we can hear from you. It is impossible to affect change by remaining silent, therefore speak up. You must be present on the field.