Printing News serves the entire Printing Industry with targeted content for the large commercial print segment.
Issue link: https://foodlogistics.epubxp.com/i/110983
predict right now how much it���ll affect transportation, but clearly the owners and operators of these businesses that are preparing and manufacturing food have a responsibility to do risk assessments, hazard analysis and risk preventative controls.��� Meanwhile, the proposed Produce rule will require farms to develop standards that minimize the risk of health hazards and take actions to prevent foreseeable hazards from occurring. This regulation will apply to farms that grow produce domestically; produce that is imported into the U.S.; and companies that harvest, pack or hold produce. Currently, both the Preventative Controls rule and the Produce rule are proposals and have no legal effect on the transportation industry until the finalized regulations are published. The FDA is allowing the public to comment on the proposed rules until Thursday, May 16, 2013. After the comment period is over, the FDA will make modifications in accordance with the feedback from the industry. Additional proposed rules such as the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), Accreditation of Third Party Auditors, and initiatives surrounding traceability are expected to be released next. ���The next set of regulations to be rolled out will include more responsibility for importers,��� says Mike Rozembajgier, vice president of recalls for Indianapolis, Indiana-based Stericycle ExpertRECALL. ���International food companies would be smart to establish relationships with venders who ensure that they���ve got product retrieval process that can run efficiently in the event of a problem.��� Although the new components to the FSMA have yet to become effective, there are ways shippers of perishable foods can prepare for compliance while reducing shrink. Preparing for FSMA The FSMA promises to impact shippers in various ways, from making sure the insides of trailers are sanitized to having the ability to efficiently track the loads that have been transported by the trailers. Utilizing the right technologies can help assurance businesses of compliance. Santa Clara, California-based Intelleflex provides radio frequency identification (RFID) temperature tags to address traceability and regulatory requirements for the transportation sector. ���We utilize temperature monitoring and condition monitoring to ensure that products have been properly stored and handled www.foodlogistics.com throughout transportation from the field all the way to the retailer,��� says Kevin Payne, senior director of marketing of Intelleflex. ���Every step of the cold chain is going to have to address sanitation requirements and improve documentation.��� Condition monitoring helps to better prioritize each shipment of product throughout the cold chain. Accurate monitoring helps to generate more revenue from reducing shrink that is caused by spoilage. Access to detailed documentation of each pallet is also a huge advantage for the transportation industry. Aside from collecting temperature data throughout transit, the monitoring tag also records information on such as when the food products were harvested; where it was packed; when it was handed over to a trucker and when it was delivered to a distribution center. RFID tags also prevent and minimize opportunities for food safety issues to occur by assessing the temperature history and validating whether or not there were any abnormal temperate spikes during transit. ���Prevention is the cornerstone of the new law,��� says Sue Challis, editor and writer of the center for food safety and applied nutrition, FDA. ���Congress has recognized that prevention is a shared responsibility of all participants in the food system. With the new law, FDA has a clear mandate to make the use of modern preventative controls the norm across the entire food supply.��� The latest trucking regulations Meanwhile, in the trucking industry there are also some new regulations around the corner. According to Karen Caesar, information officer of Sacramento, California-based California Air Resource Board (CARB), there will be an additional regulation to their Diesel Risk Reduction Plan. The public process for this additional regulation will begin sometime in 2013. This new regulation ���is geared toward modernizing agricultural equipment and reducing harmful diesel emissions from agricultural equipment engines,��� explains Caesar. In addition, CARB���s Tractor-Trailer Greenhouse Gas Regulation, which was adopted in 2008, now states that starting January 1, 2013, all 2010 and older tractor fleets must use SmartWay verified low rolling resistance tires. The use of low rolling resistance tires helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce diesel fuel consumption. This applies to both dry and refrigerated trailers that are FOOD LOGISTICS ��� JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 43