No on likes salmonella in their peanuts or listeria on their cantaloupe, or in any of their food for that matter. While contamination can occur in just about every step of the food production process, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking the final steps to make sure the transportation of food isn’t the problem by setting new criteria for the transport of food.

Domestic and international motor and rail vehicle shippers, receivers, and carriers would be required to take steps to prevent contamination of human and animal food during transportation by following criteria on properly refrigerating food and adequately cleaning vehicles between deliveries.

The Rule would not cover shippers, carriers, and receivers engaged in food transportation operations that have less than $500,000 in total annual sales. Additionally, it does not apply to the transport of fully-packaged, shelf-stable food.

Discussion on the proposed rule will take place at three public meetings: Feb. 27 in Chicago; March 13 in Anaheim, Calif,; and March 20 in College Park, Md.

The proposed regulation is the final major rule in the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s framework aimed at building preventative measures across the food system. The FSMA was established in 2011 to shift focus from responding to contamination to preventing it.

FDA proposes rule to prevent food safety risks during transportation [U.S. Food and Drug Administration]

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