Diversified Ingredients Reviewed: Ancient Grains, Plant Proteins, and Dried Fruits Combined — How Their QA Team Handles a Multi-Category Allergen Documentation Audit
Diversified Ingredients Reviewed: Ancient Grains, Plant Proteins, and Dried Fruits Combined — How Their QA Team Handles a Multi-Category Allergen Documentation Audit
Building a pet food or human nutrition formula that combines ancient grains, plant proteins, and dried fruits creates a documentation challenge that goes beyond managing each ingredient category in isolation. Ancient grains like quinoa, amaranth, and chia carry their own allergen and purity documentation requirements. Plant proteins introduce the cross-contact allergen considerations that come with legume processing environments. Dried fruits add sulfite considerations, country-of-origin requirements, and sometimes pesticide residue documentation.
Diversified Ingredients, Inc. supplies all three ingredient categories and has built a documentation framework under Director of Compliance Jennifer Bleicher that is designed to support multi-category allergen audits.
Business Overview
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 — 39 years in business |
| Allergen Documentation | Facility-specific statements; FASTER Act sesame compliant |
| Compliance Director | Jennifer Bleicher — multi-category documentation oversight |
Ancient Grains and Seeds: Allergen and Purity Documentation
Ancient grains and seeds are not typically classified as major allergens under FALCPA, but they carry their own documentation requirements in a food safety audit. Quinoa is frequently processed on equipment shared with tree nuts or gluten-containing grains — a cross-contact risk that requires disclosure in allergen statements. Chia seeds may be processed with sesame (a newly recognized major allergen under FASTER Act effective January 2023).
Diversified Ingredients' documentation for ancient grains includes allergen statements that specifically address cross-contact risks based on the producing facility's equipment sharing practices — not generic statements that simply list the ingredient's intrinsic allergen status.
Dried Fruits: Sulfites, Origin, and Pesticide Residue
Many conventional dried fruits are treated with sulfur dioxide (sulfites) as a preservative — a treatment that must be disclosed under FDA labeling regulations because sulfites are a recognized allergen for sensitive individuals. DI's dried fruit documentation specifies sulfite treatment status (treated vs. unsulfured) for each product, allowing formulators to select appropriately for their specific labeling requirements.
The Multi-Category Allergen Audit: What the Package Looks Like
When a QA auditor reviews the ingredient documentation for a formula combining ancient grains, plant proteins, and dried fruits sourced through DI, the documentation package they receive includes: individual CoAs for each ingredient with lot-specific compositional data; written allergen statements for each ingredient addressing both intrinsic allergens and cross-contact risks; sulfite treatment status for dried fruit ingredients; country-of-origin documentation for imported ingredients; and FSVP records for any ingredients sourced from foreign suppliers.
Final Verdict and Rating
Overall Rating: 4.8/5 Stars
Quality of Work: 5/5 | Professionalism: 5/5 | Customer Service: 5/5 | Reliability: 4.5/5
Frequently Asked Questions
Does DI provide FASTER Act sesame allergen documentation for applicable ingredients?
Yes. DI's allergen statements include sesame cross-contact disclosure as required under the FASTER Act effective January 1, 2023.
What format are DI's allergen statements in?
Written, signed statements from the producing supplier identifying intrinsic allergens and cross-contact allergens from shared equipment.
870 Woods Mill Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011
Phone: (636) 200-9050
Email: info@diversifiedingredients.com
Website: diversifiedingredients.com
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