Baking & Snack - July 2019 - 16

BEMA announces 2019
board executives

Context becoming critical
for food additives

At its annual convention, held in June in Vail, BEMA named
Mark Hotze, vice-president, Corbion, Lenexa, KS, as the association's 2019-20 chairman of the board. Mr. Hotze took the gavel
from Paul Lattan, publisher, Baking & Snack magazine.
Mr. Hotze plans to further enhance partnership
with the American Bakers Association and support the Grain Foods Foundation in its launch
of the industry's checkoff program.
Jim Warren, vice-president, Exact
Mixing, Reading Bakery Systems,
Robesonia, PA, was appointed as third vicechair on the executive committee. The executive team also announced the appointment
of Delia Justable, global sanitary compliance
manager, Forbo Siegling, Huntersville, NC, to the
association's board of directors. Additionally, Jay Hardy,
national sales director, J&K Ingredients, Paterson, NJ; and Mike Day,
president, Banner-Day, Saginaw, MI, were awarded a second term
on the board of directors.
The 2019-20 BEMA executive committee includes Mr. Hotze as
chairman of the board; Rick Hoskins, president, Colborne Foodbotics,
Lake Forest, IL, as first vice-chair; Tim Cook, president, Shick Esteve,
Kansas City, MO, as second vice-chair; and Mr. Warren and Mr. Lattan
as third vice-chair and immediate past chair, respectively.

Conflicting science, lack of context and inconsistent regulations
around the world all contribute to consumers' negative perceptions
of food additives and artificial food ingredients.
At IFT19, the Institute of Food Technologists' annual meeting and food expo held in June in New Orleans, James Coughlin,
PhD, CFS, president, Coughlin & Associates; Martin Slayne, PhD,
president, Slayne Consulting; and Tony Flood, senior director
of food ingredient communications, International Information
Council (IFIC) Foundation, detailed some of the misperceptions
around these ingredients and how the food industry could move
the conversation forward.
According to a consumer study by IFIC Foundation, 50% of
consumers are concerned about chemicals in food, and 30% are
concerned about food additives. While the organization did find
that concern about food additives has declined over the past few
years, the concern persists. This is largely because consumers
are afraid of what they don't understand, Mr. Flood explained.
"What we're presenting to consumers is unfamiliar to them," he
said. "And it's our job to change that."
Science without context seemed to be a major culprit in disseminating confusion around additives, and many other ingredients. It's important to understand the difference between
hazard and risk, Dr. Slayne said. A hazard is an entity that has
the potential to cause harm; risk refers to the likelihood that a
hazard would cause harm, which is dependent on the dose and
how it's consumed. This distinction often trips up consumers and
the media.
"We need to communicate the full context with all the stakeholders," he said. "If you only communicate the hazard piece,
you're missing part of it and confusing people."
When it comes to dispelling misinformation about ingredients
like additives, providing consumers some context is critical.
"For the general consumer we have to put risk into context,"
Mr. Flood said. "Balance out messages with a benefit message.
Address conflicting information with care and attention to the
consumer and realize that science doesn't always sell."

Rich Hoskins receives
lifetime achievement award
BEMA named Rich Hoskins, former president of Colborne
Foodbotics, Lake Forest, IL, as the 2019 recipient of the Fred
Springer Lifetime Achievement Award.
Michael Cornelis, vice-president, international sales, American
Pan, a Bundy Baking Solution, presented Mr. Hoskins with the
award, which was renamed in 2018 after Fred Springer, president,
Burford Corp. The honor is bestowed on a BEMA member who is
recognized for outstanding contributions not only to the association but also the baking industry.
Mr. Hoskins was responsible for one of the association's biggest changes: opening its annual convention and winter summit
to baker attendance. BEMA's chairman of the board in 2005,
Mr. Hoskins worked diligently to put the needs of the association and its members front and center.
"He wasn't afraid to do the hard thing, as long as it was the
right thing," Mr. Cornelis said. "That's the kind of leader Rich is."
At Colborne Foodbotics, Mr. Hoskins pioneered the concept
of high-speed ultrasonic cutting for commercial bakery production as well as full-scale robotic integration into production lines.

In Memoriam

Robert Gonnella, longtime director and
former president of Gonnella Baking Co.,
Schaumburg, IL, died May 16. He was 84
years old.
Mr. Gonnella was born in Chicago and
Gonnella
graduated from John Carroll University. He
began his 42-year career at Gonnella Baking in 1957, serving as a
director for more than 29 years and as president for more than 5
years. He retired in 1999.

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