Food-grade pallets: what the term means and how to specify one

Food buyers and auditors often ask for "food-grade pallets", and suppliers will happily sell them. But there is no government definition of the term and no FDA approval process for a pallet. What exists instead is a set of rules about sanitary transportation, a set of rules about which materials can touch food, and a lot of customer-specific specs. This guide turns those into something you can write on a purchase order.

#What is a food-grade pallet?

A food-grade pallet is a pallet that will not contaminate the food it carries. In practice buyers mean:

• Clean: no stains, spills, oily residue, odors, debris or pest damage.
• Dry: low moisture, so no mold. See pallet mold.
• Untreated with chemicals: heat-treated rather than fumigated with methyl bromide, and no wood preservatives.
• Sound: no loose nails, splinters or broken boards that could damage packaging or shed debris.
• Traceable: a known source and history, often new rather than recycled.
• For direct food contact: a food-contact material, usually virgin plastic or metal.

#What the regulations actually say

#FSMA Sanitary Transportation rule

The FDA's Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, one of the FSMA rules (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart O), requires that vehicles and transportation equipment used for food be designed, maintained and kept clean so they do not cause the food to become unsafe. It applies to shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers. The rule does not name pallets or set a pallet standard, but pallets used in food transport are generally treated as equipment that must meet that sanitary requirement. See FSMA Sanitary Transportation.

What that means for a shipper: have a written requirement for pallet condition, inspect pallets before loading, and reject dirty or damaged pallets. The requirement is about condition and control, not a certificate.

#Food-contact materials (plastic pallets)

Plastic pallets described as "FDA-approved" or "FDA-compliant" use resin that meets the FDA food-contact regulations for that polymer. The pallet itself is not approved. These pallets are normally made from virgin HDPE or polypropylene, often in a blue color, and the maker should supply a letter of compliance that names the regulation.

#Third-party food safety schemes

GFSI-benchmarked schemes such as SQF, BRCGS and FSSC 22000, and customer audits, commonly ask sites to control pallet condition and pest risk. Requirements vary by scheme and edition, so check the one your site is audited to.

#Wood or plastic for food?

Most packaged food (cases in corrugated boxes, bottles in shrink-wrap) moves on wood pallets, including pooled CHEP and PECO block pallets. Plastic takes over in meat, dairy, produce washdown, bakery and pharmaceutical plants, and wherever unpackaged product sits on the pallet. See plastic vs wood pallets and hygienic plastic pallets.

#Specifying a food-grade wood pallet

Recycled pallets are used for food by many shippers, but the history of a used pallet is unknown. If you accept them, specify top grade, no painted or stained pallets, and a receiving inspection. See pallet grades.

#Specifying a food-grade plastic pallet

• Virgin resin; letter of compliance for food contact
• Closed deck, and closed or smooth bottom, for washdown; no cavities that trap water
• Temperature range covering freezers, blast chillers or hot wash
• Color if used for zone control (for example, blue for food areas)
• Fire listing if stored indoors in quantity (see pallet fire safety)
• Racking rating if racked (see plastic pallet buying guide)

#Pallet handling practices that matter as much as the pallet

1. Store empty pallets dry and covered. A kiln-dried pallet stored outside is a wet pallet within days.
2. Keep pallet stacks away from food production areas. Pallets carry dust, debris and pests from other sites.
3. Inspect before loading. Check for stains, mold, odor, protruding nails and pest signs. See pallet inspection.
4. Use slip sheets or tier sheets where product must not touch the pallet deck.
5. Segregate pallets used for chemicals or non-food goods from food pallets.

#Common audit findings about pallets

Food safety audits often cite the same pallet problems: broken or dirty pallets in production or storage areas, wood splinters near exposed product, pallets stored outside and brought into food areas wet, and no documented pallet inspection. A written pallet policy, a receiving check and dry indoor pallet storage address most of them.

#Pooled pallets for food

Pooled CHEP and PECO wood block pallets and iGPS plastic pallets carry a large share of US packaged food and grocery freight. Poolers inspect and repair pallets between trips and sort out damaged or contaminated ones, but you still do not know where a given pallet was on its last trip. For packaged food this is widely accepted. For unpackaged product, raw ingredients in open containers or sensitive products, use dedicated pallets or barrier sheets, and inspect pooled pallets on receipt like any other. See pallet pooling.

#Food-grade pallets for export

Exporting food on wood pallets means meeting two sets of rules:

• ISPM 15 at the destination border: HT (or DH) and the IPPC mark. HT is preferred over MB for food, and some countries do not accept MB. See heat-treated pallets.
• Mold prevention for the voyage: kiln-dried pallets (19% or less), dry loading, desiccants. A heat-treated pallet can still be wet. See pallet mold.

Plastic pallets avoid both issues but cost more and are usually lost on one-way export. Light nestable export plastic pallets and presswood pallets are common alternatives. See export pallets.

#Food industry retailer rules

Grocery retailers and distributors write their own pallet specs. Walmart's supply chain standards, for example, require Grade A condition, 48 × 40 in footprint for grocery, and prohibit cross-contaminated pallets. Costco requires pooled block pallets in North America. See Walmart pallet requirements, Costco pallet requirements and food and beverage pallets.

#Specifying it for a quote

On a food pallet RFQ, include:

• Intended use: packaged food, unpackaged food, cold chain, washdown
• Material: wood (species, grade, KD target, HT) or plastic (resin, virgin, compliance letter)
• Cleanliness and condition requirements (the table above)
• Documentation required per shipment
• Size, load and handling requirements

Start from the hygienic plastic 1200 × 800 template or the GMA 48 × 40 template and add the food requirements in the spec notes before requesting quotes.