The FDA's Sanitary Transportation Rule: Are You Prepared?

Do you have an up-to-date food safety plan? How secure are your sanitary transportation operations? Are your standards and procedures on par with the sanitary cold chain market? Do you have an HACCP plan in place already? If you were approached for an audit, would you pass an FDA inspection and be able to show officials your records dating back at least two years?

If you think these are a lot of questions I’m asking, imagine having to withstand an FDA audit in the instance that your company is suspected of not being in compliance with the FSMA Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food guidelines.

When running any part of a sanitary cold chain operation, keep in mind that procedures and protocols must be specified between shippers and carriers in accordance with the FDA ruling.

What testing do you use to make sure you can prove to the FDA that your containers or trailers meet required sanitation and temperature control parameters? What is your written HACCP plan? Do you have protocols in place to ensure that there is no cross-contamination? Do you have strict requirements for your shippers and transporters in how they pack and load and/or unload products? Are your drivers, or other employees, trained in food safety and security? What are your guidelines with respect to food products being stored while awaiting shipment? Do you understand whether or not your company falls under a ‘high risk’ category with the FDA?

For a comprehensive range of safety instruments and software programs that help to monitor cold chain conditions related to your industry, Deltatrak’s solutions can play a crucial role within your HACCP/Food Safety Program.

Speaking to the idea of traceability, Dr. Craig W. Henry, PhD, director of enterprise risk services-business risk at Deloitte & Touche LLP was quoted, “These companies need to go back and really understand how their standard operating procedure is being implemented and consistently executed across all their facilities. They need to understand that anything going back two years will be fair game.”

The whole idea behind the FDA’s implementation of FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation ruling is to prevent outbreaks from happening – rather than responding to them as they occur.

Make sure your safety plan is up to snuff and consistent with the Sanitary Transportation rules. It’ll all be worth it in the long run.