Alexandria, Virginia, August 11, 2016 –  The International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA), a Core Partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), has released three resources to help support industry compliance with the Sanitary Transportation of Food Regulation.

These resources were developed due to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STF) ruling in April 2016 to improve the safe, efficient movement of food worldwide through required, documented sanitary practices. The rule has the potential to hugely impact members of the temperature-controlled transportation sector, as shippers, loaders, carriers by motor or rail vehicle and receivers involved in transporting human and animal food must take action to comply. To address concerns surrounding the rule, GCCA assembled a Task Force of representatives from IRTA member companies, including leaders in refrigerated trucking, third-party logistics, warehousing, manufacturers, and the scientific community. After months of discussions, the IRTA Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Task Force completed work on three new resources related to the rule.

The Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Guide assists shippers in understanding and preparing qualified and attainable food safety plans and transportation requirements. The Refrigerated Transportation Summary and User Guide provides the reader with useful information to better understand and become compliant with the FDA’s STF rule. The Sanitary Transportation of Food Compliance Matrix helps readers to identify specific compliance requirements included in the STF rule, the respective roles of shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers, and the section of the Best Practices Guide that includes guidance on how to comply.

“We are so excited to lead the charge on industry compliance on the sanitary transportation of food by developing these new resources,” said Don Durm, Vice President, Customer Solutions – PLM Trailer Leasing and member of the IRTA Task Force. “I have no doubt that anyone – from a shipper to a carrier to a receiver – can use our matrix, guide and summary to improve their operations and prepare for compliance.”

GCCA has held two roundtable events to bring together IRTA and other key industry stakeholders in discussions about the ruling and the new resources. The most recent was a roundtable held at the GCCA Assembly of Committees on August 3, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Representatives of industry associations including the American Frozen Food Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the American Trucking Associations, and many others, contributed to the conversation.

“Through discussions during these roundtables we continue to hear that there concerns and a lack of awareness surrounding the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule – especially regarding defining the roles of all parties involved in the movement of food,” said Lowell Randel, Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs – GCCA. “That’s why the new compliance guide and resources are so critical to the entire food supply chain and cold chain logistics industries.”

The three resources are free and available to all interested parties for download on the GCCA website at http://www.gcca.org/resources/sanitary-transportation-food-compliance-resources/

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Contact: Laura Poko, Director of Marketing & Communications, GCCA at +1 703 373 4300 ext. 218 or lpoko@nullgcca.org

About the Global Cold Chain Alliance
Comprised of its Core Partners, including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, the World Food Logistics Organization, the International Refrigerated Transportation Association, and the International Association for Cold Storage Construction, the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) represents all major industries engaged in temperature-controlled logistics. GCCA unites partners to be innovative leaders in the temperature-controlled products industry. For more information about GCCA, visit www.gcca.org