There numerous possible sources of contamination everywhere, from the kitchen, manufacturer's conveyor belts, and yes, the trucks that are transporting it. Thankfully, though, contamination during food transport may effectively be curbed, thanks to the new rules by food and health officials.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), finalized a new food safety rule which is done under the Food Safety Modernization Act. This new rule aims to prevent the contamination of food during transportation.
In a nutshell, it will require workers who are involved in food transportation via motor vehicles or rail to follow all best practices for sanitary transportation. These include proper food refrigeration, cleaning of vehicles between loading and unloading times, and finally, properly protecting the food during transport.
"Consumers deserve a safe food supply and this final rule will help to ensure that all those involved in the farm-to-fork continuum are doing their part to ensure that the food products that arrive in our grocery stores are safe to eat," said Michael R. Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine in a press release.
The new rule takes into consideration the 200 comments of people from the transportation agencies, food industry, international and national trading partners, consumer advocates, and regulatory partners. Implementation will be done in the near future, and will require close partnership with the inclusive parties.
This rule is part of a larger endeavor by the FDA to focus on food safety problems occurring within the food manufacturing and transport chain. It also implements the full Sanitary Food Transportation Act which was made in 2005. The new rule will apply to the food which is transported to the United States either by rail or motor vehicle.
The full copy of the FDA's rules regarding food sanitation and transportation can be found on the agency's website.
