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FDA Posts Bulk Over-the-Road Food Tanker Transport Safety and Security Guidelines

As a service to industry and others, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted to its website a document entitled, Bulk Over-the-Road Food Tanker Transport Safety and Security Guidelines (Food Tanker Guidelines) which was issued by the Food Industry Transportation Coalition (Coalition).

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Information and recommendations contained in the Food Tanker Guidelines are intended as voluntary guidelines for safe and secure transport and handling of over-the-road food tankers. As such, the sponsoring organizations do not guarantee or warrant, expressly or by implication, that compliance with the guidelines will prevent damage, spoilage, accidents or injuries to persons or property.

Among other things, the Food Tanker Guidelines contain information and recommendations on the following topics (partial list):

Documentation;

Receipt and inspection of empty tanker;

Tank truck loading;

Receipt of loaded tanker;

Minimum cleaning requirements for non-dairy food, food grade, and liquid cargo tanks;

Conversion of trailers;

Tank requirements; and

Security (trucking company, driver, cleaning facilities, receiving facility, general)

Appendices of Guidelines Contain Example Inspection and Audit Forms

In addition to the above information and recommendations, the appendices of these guidelines contain examples of inspection report forms for both loaded and empty incoming tankers, as well as an example of a food grade tanker wash facility audit form. The appendices also include a list of resources for additional information on related topics, etc.

Food Tanker Guidelines (October 2003) available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/comm/transafe.html