FDA issues major safety rule for transporting food

The Obama administration finalized a new rule Tuesday aimed at protecting food while it’s being transported.

It is the sixth major rule in a sweeping slate of regulations from the Food and Drug Administration intended to overhaul the country’s food safety laws to protect people and animals from foodborne illnesses.

{mosads}Under the latest rule, anyone involved in transporting human and animal food ­— shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers — will be required to follow best practices for sanitary transportation, like proper refrigeration, adequate cleaning of vehicles between loads and proper protections for food during transit.

“Consumers deserve a safe food supply and this final rule will help to ensure that all those involved in the farm-to-fork continuum are doing their part to ensure that the food products that arrive in our grocery stores are safe to eat,” Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, said in a news release.

The rule, required by the Food Safety Modernization Act, applies to food transported within the United States by motor or rail vehicle, whether or not the food is offered for or enters interstate commerce.