The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule this week as part of a continuing roll out of guidance rules in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
The rule is one of seven specifying a “modern, risk-based framework” for food safety in the United States and applies to food consumed by both humans and animals. The rule is constructed to incorporate key components of the 2005 Sanitary Food Transportation Act (SFTA) and focuses on transportation practices such as proper refrigeration, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, and food protection. The rule also covers training of carrier personnel as well as record maintenance and retention.
The Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule applies to shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers involved in land transportation of food by motor or rail, but excludes transportation by ships or air. The rule also does not apply if the food is shipped through the United States but does not enter the market. Businesses employing more than 500 individuals and motor carriers with more than $27.5 million in annual receipts will need to be compliant within one year. Those below this threshold will have two years to comply.
Additional exemptions of interest in the rule include:
- Transportation activities performed by a farm;
- Transportation of human food byproducts transported for use as animal food without further processing;
- Transportation of food that is completely enclosed by a container except a food that requires temperature control for safety; and
- Transportation of live food animals (except molluscan shellfish).
More information on the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule, as well as a link to the Federal Register notice is available here.
