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Safely moving food
ATA outlines new rules for transportation of food during Omnitracs Outlook 2017
temperature for quality, where there is not a health risk, is something the ATA said should be kept between the shipper and receiver.
A significant change to the 2011 rule is that requirements for record- ing temperatures will be left to the shipper’s discretion and the term “adulteration” has been replaced by a “see something, say something” approach, meaning if there is a possible issue with a shipment, an expert will be brought in to check the quality of the load.
“This is based on the safety of the food, not what happened during transit,” Garney said.
Recordkeeping was another focus area for the ATA.
Garney said the approach of hav- ing a “roomful of recordkeeping” was onerous, and was not the best fit for the trucking industry.
By Derek Clouthier
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
Amendments have been made to the US’s 2011 Sanitary Transpor- tation of Human and Animal Food rule, with many of the guidelines having a direct effect on trucking companies that transport food across the country.
Sean Garney, director of safety policy for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), outlined these changes during Omnitracs Outlook 2017 earlier this year, highlighting several provisions the ATA advo- cated for on behalf of the industry.
One of the main areas of concern was the matter of food tempera- ture, and what that means in terms of whether a shipment is considered to be “adulterated” and destined for the dump.
Garney said the ATA stressed to the government that there are two types of temperature control – those that are deemed for safety, such as the shipping of chicken, and those for quality, such as for food items like lettuce. Food temperature control for safety has a direct effect on the pub- lic’s health, as eating contaminated chicken can cause severe illness or even death. On the other hand, food
ATA director of safety policy, Sean Garney.
“You cannot fit the trucking indus- try into a box,” he said. “It’s huge. They all have different requirements. Every commodity is different.”
Ultimately, companies must doc- ument that they know what they are doing when shipping human and animal food.
Keeping the trailer that is trans- porting food sanitary is another emphasis of the new rule and brought about the change that sanitary trans- portation requirements are to be based on the intended use of the vehicle and on the production stage which the food is in (raw or finished).
The rule also states that the vehi- cle and transportation equipment being used to move the food must be made from material that can be adequately cleaned and sanitized.
“Does anyone know what ‘ade- quately cleaned and sanitized’ means?” Garney asked those in attendance, referring to the broad requirements of the new rule. “Nei- ther does the government.”
Food must also be stored in a man- ner to prevent pests or contamina- tion, and temperature control sys- tems must be designed, maintained and equipped to provide proper tem- perature control.
Those exempt from these new rules include “very small busi- nesses” with less than $500,000 in annual revenue, food transshipped through the US, food located in a facility already regulated by the USDA, and farms performing trans- portation operations.
Food completely enclosed by a container that is not temperature controlled, compressed food gases, human food byproducts used for ani- mal feed not subject to further pro- cessing and live animals are also not covered in the new rules.
Overall, Garney said the new rules give flexibility back to the industry and shippers will be responsible for most of the new requirements.
The compliance date for large companies was Apr. 6, while small businesses (less than 500 employees or less than $27.5 million in annual receipts) get an additional two years.
The 2011 Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food affects all food traveling by land and not loads shipped by sea or air. TN
20 Truck News • June 2017