12 PalletCentral • March-April 2019 palletcentral.com
FAQS FOR
PALLETS & CRATES
Food & Pharma Safety in the Supply Chain Network
rotecting the supply chain from contamination has
never been more crucial than it is today, especially
for handling food and pharmaceuticals. With
government regulations on the rise, rules such as
FDA's 2016 Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation
of Human and Animal Food, require pallet
suppliers to ensure food and pharma can be
transported safely on pallets or crates.
Last year's romaine lettuce recall following the
E. coli outbreak should remind all suppliers of the
food supply chain network to remain diligent of their
responsibilities that food safety is not compromised during
transportation. A wooden pallet was not the cause of the outbreak,
however they are considered "transportation equipment" under the
Final Rule. Therefore, pallet suppliers have an obligation to ensure
that pallets are designed and maintained so that they are suitable
and adequately cleanable as required by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
The NWPCA supports policies and regulations regarding food
and pharma safety, and work to ensure that wood packaging
remains part of the supply chain network.
The following FAQs were compiled by NWPCA, with assistance
from the Polsinelli law firm, on various treatments for wood
packaging. Additional questions for pallet manufacturers on the
Final Rule are also compiled at PalletCentral.com.
If you have other questions on pallet treatments related to the
food and pharma supply chain, contact NWPCA's Director of
Science & Technology Integration, Dr. Brad Gething
(bgething@palletcentral.com) 703-519-6104.
P
Illustration:
iStockphoto.com/Mariia
Domnikova.
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