To follow up on my post questioning the value of the Brewer Association’s statement on the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed rule on handling spent grain, today the Beer Institute issued a press release detailing its efforts to address the issue.

The Beer Institute is a national trade association representing brewers, importers, and industry supplies. It works regularly with state and federal lawmakers to help develop legislation representing the interests of the beer industry.  As stated in its press release:

Today, the Beer Institute filed joint comments with the American Malting Barley Association in order to protect a centuries-old and environmentally-conscious practice of brewers marketing their brewers’ grain to local animal producers. 

The Beer Institute has been working for more than a year with Members of Congress, regulators and allied organizations from dairy farmers to agriculture scientists in order to present a strong economic and scientific argument proving that it is completely unnecessary for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add additional regulation to brewers’ spent grain and other by-products of brewing.

The Beer Institute’s and American Malting Barley Association’s joint comments can be read in full here. (Including a graphical representation of the brewing process and some flow charts straight out of the 1950s.)

I’d be remiss in not pointing out that the Brewers Association has been working with the Beer Institute and others on challenging the FDA’s proposal.  The Beer Institute and Brewers Association issued joint comments in November regarding the possible inclusion of hops in the proposed rules.  While I’d still prefer to see a stronger statement issues by the Brewers Association, it is clear they have not been sitting idle while conjuring up wishy-washy press releases.