Does NMFC matter for shipping plastic pallets?

When shipping plastic pallets, the right NMFC classification makes all the difference. When one a valued customers reached out with quesions about NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) codes, we were happy to help.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into the importance of selecting the correct NMFC code for your shipments and shed light on the current status of these codes as of October 2023.

What help did our customer need?

Also: Ways to lower freight costs – saving money on Plastic Pallet shipments?

Specifically, they were puzzled by the absence of NMFC 150390 in their NMFCA account and were contemplating using NMFC 156600 for a plastic pallet order (not to spoil the surprise, but as it turns out, One Way Solutions recommends using a third NMFC 150400 to ship plastic pallets).

Why the Correct NMFC Code Matters

Selecting the right National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) code is vital for securing the best freight rating for your shipments. These codes are used by carriers and freight brokers to classify various commodities based on factors such as density, stowability, and handling requirements. An accurate NMFC code ensures that your shipment is appropriately categorized, which can significantly impact the shipping costs, transit time, and even the carrier’s willingness to handle your cargo.

NMFC 150390: Is it Still Valid for plastic pallets?

NMFC code 150390, previously used for shipping plastic pallets, has undergone a significant change as of October 2023. NMFC code 150390 is no longer active (and therefore no longer applicable for shipping plastic pallets). This development underscores the importance of staying up-to-date with NMFC code changes, as using an outdated code can lead to costly errors and complications in your shipping process.

Introducing NMFC 150400: The New Standard for Plastic Pallets

As of October 2023, plastic pallets now fall under NMFC 150400, which is classified as “Pallets, Platforms, Skids, or Shipping Racks.” This code is density-based, which means that it takes into account the weight and dimensions of the pallets, providing a more accurate reflection of their characteristics. Density-based NMFC codes are ideal because they help ensure fair and consistent pricing based on the actual space and weight your shipment occupies.

The Advantages of Using Density-Based NMFC Codes

There are several advantages to choosing density-based NMFC codes like NMFC 150400 for your plastic pallet shipments:

1. Accurate Pricing: Density-based codes lead to more precise freight rates, helping you avoid overpaying or underestimating shipping costs.
2. Fair Treatment: Carriers can assess the space and weight requirements accurately, leading to fair treatment for your shipments and a reduced risk of disputes.
3. Streamlined Shipping: Using the right NMFC code reduces the chances of delays or issues in transit, ensuring a smoother shipping process overall.
4. Cost Savings: By accurately representing the characteristics of your shipment, you can potentially negotiate better rates with carriers and optimize your shipping budget.

NMFC 150400 vs. NMFC 156600 for Plastic Pallets

While NMFC 150400 is now the recommended classification for plastic pallets, you might wonder about NMFC 156600. NMFC 156600 also covers plastic pallets, but we believe NMFC 150400 is the preferable choice for a few reasons:

1. Specific Description: NMFC 150400 explicitly lists pallets in its description, making it a more accurate and transparent choice for plastic pallet shipments.
2. Industry Standard: NMFC 150400 aligns with industry practices and provides a standardized approach to classifying plastic pallets.
3. Consistency: Choosing the same NMFC code for plastic pallets across your shipments can lead to consistency in rating, reducing the potential for rating disputes and ensuring better control over shipping costs.

In conclusion, selecting the correct NMFC code is essential for achieving the best freight rating and ensuring a smooth shipping process. As of October 2023, plastic pallets are no longer shipped under NMFC 150390; instead, NMFC 150400 is the recommended classification. Density-based NMFC codes like 150400 offer advantages such as accurate pricing, fair treatment, and potential cost savings. When it comes to shipping plastic pallets, choosing the right NMFC code is a vital step in optimizing your logistics and achieving cost-effective and efficient freight transportation. At One Way Solutions, we’re committed to helping our customers make informed shipping decisions, and we’re here to assist you in navigating these changes.

We Hope That Helps!

We hoped you enjoyed learning about choosing NMFC codes for plastic pallets.

We’d love to hear from you – please let us know how you’ve saved money rating freight for plastic pallets.

Need Help finding competitive prices on pallets and plastic pallet shipping?

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic pallet Plastic Pallets and can send you a quote that includes shipping costs.

Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

Prevent Produce Contamination With Plastic Pallets

Food producers and brands are an important part of the food distribution chain. Keeping your products and customers safe and healthy, while keeping costs down, is fundamental to your mission. I get it, and I want to remind you of a sometimes overlooked aspect of shipping safety: the pallets on which they’re transported.

Failing to pay attention to this simple part of the process can at best make your shipping process a pain and at worst it can really hurt people, either with stray nails or through bacteria growing in moisture.

Here, we’ll go over the two most popular materials to use in pallets, wood and plastic, and discover why plastic pallets are ultimately a better choice.

 

Wood Pallets

Now, wood pallets are cheaper, it’s true! But the composition of the wood and the way the pallet is built could end up costing you more in product recall and employee injury. Wood is very porous, which means it can hold a lot of water, or anything else that might be spilled onto it! And damp wood is a breeding ground for mildew, fungus, and bacteria. All sorts of nasties that can get into the produce and make the population sick!

Damp wood can also warp, compromising the integrity of pallet stack. This can cause the stack to lean (shown below) or even topple, injuring anyone in its path, as well as the food products and pallets themselves.

Wood is hard to keep precisely level, which may cause stack instability as well. And traditional wooden pallets are made with sharp nails and screws, another potential hazard to you and your product. The best solution is to switch away from wooden pallets altogether, in favor of some plastic ones.

However, if you decide wooden pallets would be best, One Way Solutions has you covered in that area as well! We offer heat treated pressboard pallets which solve most of the issues brought up here. Since they are produced in one piece, there’s no danger of stray nails damaging you or your product. Since it’s heat treated and covered in resin, the likelihood of dampness and risk of contamination are reduced. These engineered wood pallets even have a nesting design to cut down on stacking issues.

 

Plastic Pallets 

Plastic pallets eliminate the challenges and problems typical with wooden block pallets. Because plastic pallets are non-porous, they won’t harbour contaminants or absorb liquids. The plastic material is also lighter weight and much easier to clean. And, like the presswood, plastic pallets are mass produced to specific dimensional tolerances, so they’re easier to stack well and do not contain nails or screws to put a wrench in your plans.

One Way Solution also offers FDA approved plastic pallets! Plastic pallets also make it easier to comply with the various FDA regulations for cleanliness.

What makes a pallet FDA approved? Well, it has to be made of virgin resin materials, made of new, unrecycled plastic. There’s no guarantee that recycled plastic is clean, and when it comes to your produce, you want to be sure.

Plastic is a lot lighter than wood, and trust me, your staff and your machinery will appreciate the lighter load. In fact, with less weight, your process can become more efficient!

Plastic is also quite durable and resilient. It will handle a lot of pressure and is less likely to break under strain. It can withstand extreme heat and cold as well. So whatever extreme or unusual conditions your produce might have to endure, plastic pallets will stay true to form!

The Blue FDA Plastic Pallets

I personally recommend blue pallets, as shown below, because they’re immediately recognizable as FDA approved pallets. It’s nearly impossible to create that bright blue color out of recycled plastic, so you can be sure it’s 100% virgin resin. Or, if blue cramps your style, One Way Solutions offers a variety of other colors, including black, beige, green, and red, that are all FDA approved! And they don’t contain PBDEs or DecaPBDEs, for extra cleanliness!

Heat Treated Pallets (HT Pallets)

Today we’re going to talk about heat treated pallets, find out what makes them special and beneficial, and discuss an alternative to heat treated pallets.

Pallet Treatments

Some pallets are untreated. These untreated pallets are known as “national pallets”, because they lack ISPM pallet certification and are therefore not used for international trade and foreign travel.

Pallet Treatments – For Safety

Wood pallets are treated to reduce the spread of pests and inhibit the growth of fungi and other organic matter to increase consumer safety and the stability of regional ecosystems.

There are many wood pallet treatment processes for making pallets safe for use:

• Chemical Pallet Treatments
• Fungicide Pallet Treatments
• Pressure Treatments
• Heat Treatments

No Bark!

At the very least, treated pallets must be debarked prior to their treatments. Because bark can harbor pests and their eggs, it has to go!

Heat Treated Pallets

Heat Treated or FT Pallets are subjected to a very specific heat treatment.

The heat treatment kills bugs and their eggs and reduces the wood’s moisture level.

Reduced moisture means that the pallet loses weight during the heating process as well!

HT Pallet Recipe: Bake Wood Core at 56°C (134.6°F) for 30 Minutes

Just what exactly has to happen for a wood pallet meet the heat treating requirements to meet ISPM15 requirements?

The core temperature of any wood pallet greater than 6MM in thickness must be raised to 56°C (Celsius) for no fewer than 30 continues minutes. Reaching the 56°C wood core temperature for half an hour destroys pests, their eggs, and organic plant life that may contaminate the payload or impact other ecosystems adversely.

Wait, what are we here in the US? We’re Fahrenheit.

So 56°C is 134.6°F  – which is roughly equivalent of the hottest recorded temperature in the USA:

134°F at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, CA (July 10, 1913)

What Does A Pallet Heater Look Like?

Pallet Heater, Pallet Kiln, whatever you call them, they have one essential purpose: to heat the pallets to 56°C and keep it there for 30 minutes.

Here’s one of the little devils now:

Pallet Heater System Components:

* Fuel Source (natural gas or propane) – The fuel used for heating, sometimes kept in separate tanks
* Power Supply – Powers the heating and air handling devices
* Heating Unit – Creates heat from burned fuel for the heated air used to dry the pallets
* Air Handler – Forces the heated air into the heating chamber

Some pallet heating systems combine the heater and air-handler into an integrated unit, heating the air and forcing it into the heating chamber.

ISPM 15 Stamps – What do they look like?

The IPPC stamps used to indicate that a pallet manufacturer has met ISPM 15 standards looks something like this:

And as you might have already guessed (or already know) –
HT stands for Heat Treated.

Here’s another example of an ISPM 15 style stamp.

The Downside To HT Pallets

Well, there aren’t any problems to using HT Pallets specifically; they’re better than using MB Wood Pallets (pallets treated with the now banned MB – methyl bromide).

The problem with MT Pallets is that they are wood pallets and are not the first choice for efficient and cost-effective material handling due to the normal wood pallet disadvantages:

* Added weight of wood causes higher transportation costs
* Lack of uniformity causes interruptions and failure during transport and storage
* Splinters can risk health of all hands in the supply chain, and can cause contamination, exposure to blood borne pathogens, and payload damage.
* High cost of replacement over the long term due to lower service life compared to plastic pallet alternatives.

The Wood Pallet Alternative Is A Plastic Pallet Advantage

Are you ready for a pallet that will last longer, weighs less, performs better, causes less downtime, doesn’t need to be treated, can comply with FDA regulations, and will cost you less to use in the long haul?

Plastic Pallets are the answer – and our pallet experts can help you find the perfect fit to your needs.

Share your Comments!

We’d love to hear from you – please let us know what other tricks you’ve used to save on freight – and check our our article on how FDA Pallets can help food and pharma companies work better!

Best Pallets For Handling CBD

CBD Food Products Legalization – It’s Coming

In December 2018, Congress legalized hemp-derived CBD.

But the FDA stopped short of allowing CBD to be added to food products and prohibited CBD’s addition to foods – for now.

The dawn of legal CBB food products is not far off. The FDA has scheduled a public hearing regarding how to handle the legalization of adding CBD to food and drinks on May 31st, 2019.

The goal of this hearing on CBD’s appearance in food products is to begin the collection of data that will help determine how the FDA can effectively regulate manufacturing, labeling, and production of CBD edibles and CBD beverages.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol, also known by its abbreviation CBD, is one of roughly 113 cannabinoids found in Cannabis. Unlike THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid that makes users feel “high,” CBD does not produce any psychoactive feelings of being “high” or “stoned.”

What are the Benefits of CBD?

OK, so food brands want to add CBD to food products. But why?

Cannabidiol can improve health in many different ways.

CBD is believed to have many beneficial applications to improve human health and wellness:
* Seizure Prevention: CBD is believed to reduce the incidence and intensity of seizures, making it a promising alternative for Epileptics and others suffering from seizures.
* Inflammation Reduction: CBD is believed to be an anti-inflammatory alternative and is known to reduce swelling.
* Pain Management: Cannabidiol is also used as an alternative pain management treatment – even for relieving migraine headaches!
* Mental Wellness: CBD is taken as an anti-depressant and is also used as a way to combat anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
* Digestive Wellness: CBD is often taken as an alternative treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Nausea.

“I want a new drug, one that won’t make me sick
One that won’t make me crash my car – Or make me feel three feet thick”
– Huey Lewis & The News

Why should the Material Handling Industry Care About CBD?

Because CBD is used in both food and  pharmaceutical industries and will be consumed by living creatures, its handling will be subject to the exacting guidelines of the FDA.

Improper handling could destroy the CBD and the food products it’s used in – or make them unsafe and unfit for human consumption or personal use.

So it is no surprise that the best pallets for handling CBD medicines and CBD food products will be plastic FDA Pallets.

The Best Pallets for Handling CBD and Cannabis are Plastic FDA Pallets

Plastic pallets that meet FDA guidelines are best for handling CBD.

Strong, well-engineered pallets that are made from sustainable, virgin polyethylene resin are the best option for safe operation for freight handlers and also reduce the possibility of contamination.

Plastic Pallets Are Best For Handling CBD because:
* they will not splinter and create unsafe conditions for material handling professionals and CBD distributors.
* the virgin material used to make the pallets will not taint the purity of the CBD or the food products therein.
* the pallets have smooth, well machined surfaces that are easily cleaned, making them ideal for sustainable, long-term use in closed loop and point to point CBD processing, distribution, and manufacturing.

Our offering is excellent for CBD and Cannabis handlers – so check out our FDA Approved Pallets online!

CBD Handling & FDA Compliance may seem like the wild west –
we can help!

* What’s the greatest challenge you face as a material handling professional in the CBD and Cannabis industries?
* We’re here to help meet unique challenges in your warehouse!

Share your Comments!

We’d love to hear from you – please let us know what other tricks you’ve used to safely transport other food products from rapidly emergent new product categories.

Need Help Selecting A Pallet?

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic Plastic Pallet and send you a quote that includes shipping costs.

Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

USA Made Pallets – Proudly Supplied by One Way Solutions

Nearly all pallets and products offered One Way Solutions are USA made. We ship worldwide from over 15 distribution locations across the USA. We also ship to major USA ports of embarkation.

Our website makes shopping our products as easy as possible, which is why we use a special identifying icon to assure our customers that our products are made in the USA!

Shop With Confidence

USA Made Pallets

To reassure our customers looking for USA made pallets, and allow them to shop with ease and confidence, our Plastic Pallet Experts use our website to call out our USA made pallets with a special icon.

Here is the icon – an image of our great American flag that reads, “MADE IN USA” underneath:

Online Pallet Category Pages

When shopping and browsing our products by category under the “Shop Plastic Pallets” or “Pallets by Industry” drop down bar on our homepage, you’ll see our Made In USA icon will be located in the upper right hand corner of each product’s listing, like this:

Pallet Product Pages

Once a specific product is selected, the Made In USA icon will also appear on the product page under the name of the product. This makes our USA made products easy to identify!

Plastic Protected by the USA

When our international pallet customers are ordering our products (from outside of the United States), they won’t have to worry about extended delivery periods, getting cross docked, or any potential delays.

All our pallets are export compliant. Since our pallets are mostly made of plastics and engineered materials, there is no reason to fret about an ISPM-15 stamps or certifications because these designations are only required for shipping wood products internationally!

You also won’t need to worry about unsafe dyes, materials, or hazards, because our products are made from virgin resin and recycled plastics. These materials are won’t collect moisture, bacteria, or mold, an ideal property for products shipped worldwide.

Our United States Pallet Distribution

We ship worldwide from distribution centers across the United States! In-stock pallets will ship next day, and arrive in 2-5 business days depending on your location. Not only that, we can also ship ocean containers to any major port globally!

Here is a list of some of the states that are home to our pallet distribution centers:

* California
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Michigan
* Missouri
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Pennsylvania
* Texas
* Utah
* Wisconsin

Industries that we Cater to Worldwide

Plastic pallets are popular in all industries. We supply plastic pallets and containers to a variety of industries, both domestically and worldwide. Some of these industries include:

* Pharmaceutical Pallets
* Food & Agricultural Pallets
* Can Pallets
* Beverage Pallets
* Ocean Freight Pallets
* Automotive Pallets
* Grocery & GMA Pallets
* Drum & Spill Pallets
* Air Freight Pallets
* Retail & Point Of Purchase Pallets
* Dairy Pallets
* Printing Industry Pallets
* Flexible Packing Roll Pallets

USA Plastic Regulations

Making our pallets and containers from quality plastics plastic helps easier and less cumbersome for both One Way Solutions and our customers.

Nonetheless, there are some rules to follow when producing plastic pallets in the United States. Some of the pallets we provide are compliant with special regulations mandated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). These FDA Pallets allow our customers to safely and legally transport and store food and pharmaceutical products.

Using plastic also protects us and our customers from having to worry about certain regulations. One example of the protection that using plastic pallets provides, is the automatic exemption Export Pallet Regulations enforced by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for wooden pallets. As stated before, by using plastic, we also don’t have to worry about getting a certified ISPM-15 stamp or paperwork. Excellent!

Share your Comments!

Are you a customer ordering from outside of the USA? If so, tell us where from and share your experience!

We’d love to hear from you – please share thoughts in the comments below.

Need Help Selecting A Pallet?

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic pallet and send you a quote that includes shipping costs. Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

Pallets Without PBDEs

We’ve received many inquiries from material handling professionals in the Food, Drug, and Pharmaceutical businesses who would like to know if we carry pallets without PBDEs and Deca-BDEs.

Do Our Pallets Contain PBDEs or Deca-BDEs? No Way!

None of the products sold by One Way Solutions LLC, including plastic pallets and plastic containers, contain polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs ) or deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (Deca-BDEs).

This also includes decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO); this is also banned from our products and is NOT used in the pallets we offer.

Need a copy of our PBDE-free statement certifying that we only sell containers and pallets without PBDEs?

Download it here: PBDEs+DecaPBDEs-Blanket-Statement

What are PBDEs and Deca-BDEs?

Molecular Structure of PBDEs

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (Deca-BDEs) are brominated hydrocarbons with a molecular structure that includes between 2 and 10 bromine atoms.

Wait, why not 1 bromine atom? Because ‘poly’ means many (more than 1).

Deca-BDEs have 10 bromine atoms.

What are PBDE & DecaPBDEs used for?

Clue: You’re getting warmer…

PBDEs are used as Flame Retardants.

Also: What is an FDA pallet?

Are PBDE & DecaPBDEs harmful?

Yes, PBDEs and DecaPBDEs are believed to cause reproductive and neurological risks to living creatures and are known to impact hormonal levels in the thyroid.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are also toxic developing brains in utero.

Although not directly connected, liver cancer has been observed in mice exposed to higher levels of HBDPs.

Lower brominated PBDEs (less than 5 bromine atoms) are especially bad because they more easily bioaccumulate in living organisms.

Yes, PBDEs and DecaPBDEs are harmful and should be carefully avoided; it’s only logical that we refuse to sell pallets containing them.

We Hope That Helps!

We hoped you enjoyed learning about PBDEs and are product that they are completely absent from our plastic pallets and contains..

We’d love to hear from you – please let us know how other EPA & FDA regulations have created challenges to your operations.

Need Help Selecting A Pallet?

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic Plastic Pallet and send you a quote that includes shipping costs.

Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

What is an FDA Pallet?

With food handling safety becoming an increasing concern, many of our food, beverage, and agricultural customers are requesting FDA plastic pallets.

Also: Was a Listeria outbreak caused by wood pallets?

A plastic FDA Pallet must be molded using virgin plastic resin and is most commonly blue in color.

Does The FDA Test Pallets?

No, the FDA does not test pallets and there is no FDA pallet testing facility.

What Is An FDA Approved Pallet?

What does a pallet need to do to receive FDA approval?

Well actually, the FDA does not approve pallets. They just provide guidelines / regulations to protect us.

If a pallet is manufactured following FDA guidelines, then it meets the FDA’s requirements and is considered to be an FDA approved pallet.

FDA Pallet Regulations

FDA Pallet Regulations specify that pallets must made using basic component materials approved for single and repeated use food contact surfaces in compliance with the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION – FDA standard as set forth in Title 21 CFR 117.1630.

What Should I Do If My Pallets Need FDA Certification?

I need more reassurance or documentation if I buy FDA Pallets – what should I do?

One Way Solutions will gladly provide certification in the form of a statement that a specific pallet is constructed using 100% virgin polyethylene (HDPE), a basic component
material approved for single and repeated use with food contact surfaces in
compliance with the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION – FDA standard as set forth
in Title 21 CFR 117.1630.

Why Blue FDA Pallets?

We don’t know for sure – but here are some theories:

• The blue color helps set the pallets apart in warehouse full of wood colored and black colored pallets.
• The FDA logo is sometimes blue.
• Blue is traditionally symbolic of purity (drinking water).

What we do know is that it’s exceedingly difficult to manufacture a recycled plastic pallet in any color other than black or a shade of grey. So Blue and other vibrant colors, are a mark of purity and provide a strong indication that virgin resin was used to produce a pallet.

Manufacturing FDA Pallets

The reason recycled plastic pallets are hard to produce in a blue color, is that recycled plastic raw materials are rarely separated by color; the stock materials are usually a mix of different colored plastic flakes resembling a bowl of Fruity Pebbles (or Flintstones vitamins – take your pick).

In most cases, if no plastic colorant is added, you’ll end up with a black or grey pallet. Most pallet molders add carbon black to even out the finish and provide a consistent color. For this reason, it’s a solid bet that any pallet color other than black was made using virgin resin.

Plastic Pallet Trivia

Ready for some trivia? Good! Now that you’re learning plastic pallet rules, you should know when to break them.

Pro Tip: There are Black FDA Pallets and Grey FDA Pallets!

Extra Pro Tip: FDA pallets are made in Beige, Black, Blue, Red, Green, Grey, and Yellow – colors to suit all all tastes.

Virgin Resin Benefits

Why do FDA Plastic Pallets require virgin resin materials? Because purity is the key.

Virgin plastic resin provides transparency and can be traced to its source. It is clean and free of any contaminants, a crucial requirement for the food, beverage, agricultural and pharmaceutical industries.

In contrast, the source of recycled plastic materials is a unknown or untracked, coming from sources as such as consumer milk jugs, industrial crates, chemical containers, packaging materials and thousands of others post-consumer products – including retired plastic pallets themselves!

We Hope That Helps!

We hoped you enjoyed learning about FDA pallets.

We’d love to hear from you – please let us know how FDA pallets have helped you solve challenges for your business in the comments below.

Need Help Selecting An FDA Pallet?

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic FDA Pallet and send you a quote that includes shipping costs.

Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

You Can’t Ship Without Pallets

Pallets are one of the most important material handling tools of the food and agricultural industries.

Whether plastic or wood, pallets are essential for transporting, storing, and protecting goods throughout the supply chain. Different types of pallets offer specific benefits others can’t compete with – so choosing the correct pallet ultimately depends on the products or payload you are shipping and the unique characteristics of you industry or application.

Some industries maintain strict handling standards to meet regulations designed to protect consumers. For example, the Food and Agricultural industries demand for proper sanitation has led to strict regulations for shipping food products to reduce the likelihood of contamination.

Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to contaminated wood pallets provided additional need for improved practices – and led to additional regulation.

 

Food And Agricultural Industries

 

Food and Agricultural industry products are a part of all of our lives and play an important role in maintaining public health. The need for sanitation and safety is even greater as a result. Many businesses in this industry are switching to plastic pallets from wood in order to reduce the chance of contamination.

Plastic pallets protect finished goods and organic materials used to produce them from contamination and spoilage from pests.

Some examples of companies in the Food and Agricultural Industry are:

* Breweries & Wineries
* Fruit & Vegetable Farms
* Grocery Stores
* Livestock Farms
* Pharmaceutical Companies
* Dairies
* Cheesemakers
* Slaughterhouses
* Restaurants
* Commercial Kitchens
* Granaries
* Tree & Plant Nurseries

Contamination Concerns in the Food and Agricultural Industry

 

Recently, we have seen many foodborne illness outbreaks due to these contaminations. Some of the outbreaks have caused human fatalities.

* Since 2016, there have been 3 instances of hepatitis A outbreaks linked to frozen tuna and strawberries along with raw scallops.

* In 2015, we saw a listeria outbreak in the ice cream company Blue Bell that unfortunately took some lives.

Wood Pallets used in the Food and Agricultural Industry

 

Wooden pallets are notorious for harboring pathogens which can create these illnesses and are unsafe for food handling. Wood pallets have splinters and nails which puncture and injure.

In order to use these wood pallets, the pallets need to comply with the ISPM-15 regulations that include processes that include heat treatment or fumigation.

Unfortunately, treatments make wood susceptible to mold and toxins. In fact, many recent healthcare recalls are due to the toxic chemicals used to treat wooden pallets. The Blue Bell listeria outbreak is linked unsanitary wood pallets.

Not surprisingly, the problems with the wood pallets have given rise to companies using plastic pallets in the food and agricultural industry.

Plastic Pallets in the Food and Agricultural Industry

 

The solution to cutting down contamination problems in the food and agricultural industry is by using plastic pallets. Since the demand for hygiene in the industry is so high, it only makes sense to use pallets that provide unbeatable resistance to contamination and are easy to sanitize.

Using plastic pallets relieves the stress caused by industry regulations and less consistent means of moving goods. What do we mean by this?

Consider The Following: Our plastic pallet customers don’t worry about ISPM-15 certifications.

Using plastic pallets allows for automatic exemptions from export pallet regulations that are enforced by the USDA on all wooden pallets. Besides the USDA’s regulations,  the FDA just finalized its ruling on the transportation of Human and Animal food.

Food Safety Modernization Act

 

The FDA just finalized the FSMA on the sanitary transportation of human and animal foods. This is in effort to protect foods coming from farms to being consumed during transit. The goal of the rule is to prevent practices during transportation that create risks to the safety of the food.

Common practices include, failure to properly refrigerate food, inadequate cleaning of vehicles between loads and failure to properly protect food. Requirements have been created for carriers by motor or rail vehicles, loaders, shippers and receivers involved to ensure the safety of the foods during transportation. There are four main key requirements to the Act.

Vehicles and Transportation

The rule requires all vehicles and transportation equipment to not cause the food it transports to become contaminated. All vehicles and equipment used in transportation need to be adequately cleanable for their intended use.

Transportation Operations

Transportation operations are measurements such as adequate temperature controls, preventing of ready to eat food from touching raw food so it doesn’t get contaminated, protecting food from nonfood items and finally keeping food away from cross contact, like that of a food allergen.

Training

There now will be required training of all personnel in sanitary transportation practices as well as documenting the training. The carriers who are covered by the new rules are responsible for providing the food safety training to the personnel.

Records

Records of agreements, training and written procedures are now required.

FDA Approved Pallets

 

The ultimate plastic pallet for handling food and agricultural products are products that meet FDA regulations.

FDA Product are made from 100% virgin plastic resins for the ultimate in safe handling and FDA compliance.

One Way Solutions offers FDA approved plastic pallets that can be used for storing food, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. Our FDA pallets come in rackable and stackable options while also meeting FDA fire retardant requirements. These FDA pallets are available in blue, black, yellow, green, grey, red and beige.

Already Using Plastic Pallets?

 

How have you overcome your warehousing and transportation challenges using food and agricultural pallets?

Please let us know in the comments below.

Need Help Selecting A Pallet?

 

Our Plastic Pallet Experts are happy to help you find the right plastic Plastic Pallet and send you a quote that includes shipping costs.

Please contact us to find the perfect pallet at the best price.

The FDA’s FSMA Ruling on the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food is final.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011.

On April 6, 2016 the FDA finalized its ruling on the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food.

This ruling establishes formal requirements for the sanitary transportation of food to eliminate, or at least reduce the incidence of, contamination.

This goal of this final ruling is top carry out further implementation of both the Sanitary Food Transportation Act of 2005 and the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.

How does the FSMA Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food ruling make our world a better place?

The rule aims to prevent transportation practices that increase or create food safety risks, such as:

• improper food refrigeration
• inadequate vehicle cleaning between loads
• improper food protection

Who does the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food ruling cover?

The ruling applies to these U.S. and foreign entities* involved with rail or motor food transportation within the U.S.:

• Shippers
• Receivers
• Loaders

*Exporters shipping food through the U.S. to other destinations are exempt as long as the food doesn’t enter U.S. distribution.

FSMA and “One Way Solutions” have you covered!

What does this mean to the average business engaged in the food industry? In part, safety inspections will be both increased in number and in depth. As you may have already guessed, this will most assuredly bring additional costs and complexity to compliance of this act.

One of the main components of the act deals with sanitation in the handling and shipping of food products. Traditionally, the food industry has been dominated by the use of wood pallets in both storage and shipping due to their lower initial cost of purchase. Unfortunately, using wood pallets to handle food has inherent disadvantages that can be alleviated by using plastic pallets.

Here are some of the main points of the Food Safety Modernization Act:

SEC. 103. HAZARD ANALYSIS AND RISK-BASED PREVENTIVE CONTROLS

“The owner, operator, or agent in charge of a facility shall, in accordance with this section, evaluate the hazards that could affect food manufactured, processed, packed, or held by such facility, identify and implement preventive controls to significantly minimize or prevent the occurrence of such hazards and provide assurances that such food is not adulterated under section 402 or misbranded under section 403(w).

SEC. 111. SANITARY TRANSPORTATION OF FOOD

“Food Transportation Study.–The Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall conduct a study of the transportation of food for consumption in the United States, including transportation by air, that includes an examination of the unique needs of rural and frontier areas with regard to the delivery of safe food.”

SEC. 303. AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE IMPORT CERTIFICATIONS FOR FOOD.

“With respect to an article of food, if importation of such food is subject to, but not compliant with, the requirement under subsection (q) that such food be accompanied by a certification or other assurance that the food meets applicable requirements of this Act, then such article shall be refused admission.”

While specific details are still hard to come by, in terms of the exact sanitary standards derived from the Food Safety Modernization Act, evidence can be found on how plastic pallets provide a clear advantage over wood pallets in complying with the act.

Wood Pallets have the uncanny ability to absorb pretty much every type of liquid or non-solid substance that is placed or spilled on them. While in other industries this may not seem like a big problem, absorbent wood pallets used within the food industry create a number of opportunities for food transported and stored on these pallets to become unsanitary and dangerous. This article on News-Medical.net describes a case of food poisoning caused by wood pallets.

What is the compliance deadline date for the final FSMA Act Ruling?

Small Businesses

Small business (less than 500 employees and carriers with less than $27.5 million in annual revenue) get a break to ease the burden of compliance and have up to April 6, 2018 to meet compliance, two years after the April 6, 2016 Federal Register publication date.

Other Non-Exempt Businesses

All other non-exempt businesses must meet compliance standards as early as April 6 2017, one year from the the Federal Register April 6, 2016 publication date.

What should companies do about the new FSMA Act Ruling?

Obviously the new FSMA ruling takes a more solid stance on sanitary food transportation requirements to reduce the risk and incidence of food contamination due to improper material handling practices.

The FDA FSMA Food Safety Technical Assistance Network provides information to help businesses reach compliance.

For our pallet customers, we focus on the following advice:

Transportation equipment, such as pallets, must be adequately cleanable.

Luckily, there is a solution to this challenge. Plastic pallets are non-porous, and easily cleanable. Some of the plastic FDA pallets are even designed specifically with food safety in mind.

While this is a clear advantage over wood pallets, there additional reasons plastic pallets are a natural choice for handling and transporting food:

• Plastic pallets come in a consistent format/shape/size that helps prevent any sharp edges or splinters that could otherwise cause food bags to rip or rupture and spill.
• Metal nails are not a problem; custom molded plastic pallets don’t use them.
• Finally, Plastic pallets are designed to be able to be cleaned/sanitized using extremely high water temperatures that help kill of bacteria, mold, viruses, and other pathogens.

Need A Second Opinion about Wood Pallets & Handling Food?

Here’s a positive Food Safety Magazine article that further details how plastic pallets are ideal for shipping and storing food: https://www.foodsafetymagazine.com/index.cfm/signature-series/plastic-pallets-a-safe-play-for-food/

Businesses, as a result, are switching to plastic pallets in record numbers as they try to meet these new requirements for food handling.

We’ve Got You Covered

To meet with the emergent demand from the Food industry, One Way Solutions, are leading the way in the sale of plastic pallets and FDA plastic pallets.

With 7+ FDA Pallets and containers to choose from, One Way Solutions has you covered.

To shop the full For more information about One Way Solutions and their plastic pallets, click on the following link: https://oneway-solutions.com

Looking For More Best Practices?

Check out our recent article on Listeria Bacteria & Plastic Pallets.

Thanks Palletizers! Please let me know what you think about plastic pallets, FSMA, or anything else on your mind.