Safeguarding Cereals Against Allergens 

Tip #4: Store Your Crop Properly

Maintaining a reputation for clean, safe grain is crucial for both domestic and international markets. Contaminated shipments can lead to costly rejections, recalls and damage to market confidence. This is especially true when considering the unintentional mingling of allergenic grains with cereals. 

Other crop types such as mustard, soy and buckwheat can be allergen sources in our export markets. The unintentional mingling of these allergenic grains with cereal crops can pose a significant risk to consumer health and market access. To mitigate allergy risks, export markets may have stringent limits. Buckwheat, in particular, is a highly allergenic crop that, if mixed with cereals, can trigger severe reactions in sensitized individuals. Its presence can lead to significant trade implications. 

Key strategies for minimizing allergen risk in storage and transport 

Implementing effective allergen control starts with careful management of your storage and transport processes. Here are key strategies to protect your cereals and consumers:

• Thorough equipment cleaning:
  • If you’ve harvested potentially allergenic crops, dedicate extra time and effort to cleaning combines, grain carts, trucks and storage bins before using them for wheat, barley or oats.
• Segregation during storage and transport:
  • Use separate storage bins for different crops, especially if you handle both allergenic and non-allergenic grains.
  • Ensure trucks and rail cars are thoroughly cleaned before loading cereals, particularly if they have previously carried allergenic materials.
• Documentation and communication:
  • Maintain detailed records of crop rotations, bin storage and equipment cleaning procedures, where practical.
  • Talk to your grain buyers about your rotations and storage practices.

Protecting our industry, together 

By integrating these allergen management practices into your farming operations, particularly regarding cleaning, storage and transport, you help maintain a reputation for clean, safe grain for domestic and international markets. Contaminated shipments can lead to costly rejections, recalls and risks to industry credibility.