The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published its final rule for the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STF). The rule, which became effective on June 6, 2016, established requirements for shippers, loaders, carriers by motor or rail vehicle and receivers involved in transporting human and animal food to use documented sanitary practices to ensure the safety of that food. The goal of the final STF is to prevent practices during transportation that create food safety risks, such as failure to properly refrigerate food, inadequate cleaning of vehicles between loads, and failure to properly protect food. 
To help key industry stakeholders stay in compliance with the rule, the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA), a Core Partner of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), developed the Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Guide. The following guide has been developed primarily for refrigerated carriers utilizing truck, trailer and multi-temperature means of transporting food.
Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Guide
The Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Guide assists shippers in understanding and preparing qualified – and attainable – food safety plans and transportation requirements, and offering carriers, loaders and receivers a clearer understanding of expected practices so that they can be prepared to deliver. Furthermore, this guide provides the reader with useful information to better understand and become compliant with the FDA’s recent final rule for the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STF). The goals are: 1) To guide the user in a better understanding of the FDA’s STF final rule; and 2) To provide the various categories of service providers in the integrated industry, including shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers, with information that will assist with final rule compliance and adoption of industry best practices. Found at the end of the guide is the Sanitary Transportation of Food Compliance Matrix, which 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. Click here for a recording of GCCA’s recent webinar detailing the STF rule and how to use the guide.
