As farmers prepare for spring planting, the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee is reminding producers to ensure that wheat shipments destined for export are buckwheat-free. In light of the ongoing global pandemic, food safety has become one of the most important factors for purchasers of ingredients. Montana exports 60-80% of its wheat to countries located in the Pacific Rim. Since Asian countries are large importers of Montana wheat, it is important that producers and handlers understand the serious health risk and potential economic impact posed by buckwheat.
Tame buckwheat is a deadly allergen in Asian countries. It is often compared to peanut allergies, carrying different levels of reaction severity, ranging from mild to extreme. The United States has taken precautionary measures to provide allergen safety in labeling, such as zero tolerance for unlabeled allergen exposure, which are the same efforts taken for exporting food ingredients.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE Agronomy Technical Note No. MT-93 (page 31)
Buckwheat has a high percent of hard seed, volunteers easily in no-till systems, and can become weedy in subsequent crops. Japan has zero tolerance for buckwheat in wheat and requires listing of the presence of buckwheat as an allergen on food products. Buckwheat contamination in wheat shipments to Japan could have significant economic impacts to Montana and other wheat-producing states. Montana NRCS will not recommend planting buckwheat in rotation with or adjacent to commodity wheat production that will be planted to wheat within the next two calendar years after planting buckwheat. Adjacent is defined as within 30 feet of a wheat field
There is ZERO tolerance for export elevator deliveries exposed to buckwheat. Following an exposure, grain elevators may extend their rejection to refuse future deliveries from certain producers, meaning it is crucial that producers do not expose their operation to buckwheat in any form.
To protect and foster the health and prosperity of the Montana’s wheat and barley industry, the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee is committed to educating producers about the dangers of buckwheat in a small grains rotation and surveying cover crop mixes across the state, including volunteer situations.