§350e Sanitary Transportation Practices

Summary

Requires shippers, carriers, receivers, and others who move food by motor vehicle or rail to follow sanitary transportation rules the Secretary creates. Bulk vehicle — a tank, hopper, freight container, or similar vehicle that carries food in bulk and touches the food. Transportation — moving food in commerce by truck or train. The rules will set standards for cleaning and sanitation, packaging and protection, limits on which vehicles can be used, what information must be given to carriers and to people who arrange or supply vehicles, and recordkeeping. The rules will also include lists of nonfood products that could contaminate food if shipped in the same bulk vehicle or in other motor or rail vehicles. The Secretary may waive any rule for certain people, vehicles, foods, or nonfood items if the waiver won’t make food unsafe and is in the public interest, and must publish each waiver and the reason in the Federal Register. State or local rules about food transport are overridden if they conflict with these federal rules or make them impossible to follow; that applies to transport on or after the rules’ effective date. Federal agencies like Transportation, Agriculture, and the EPA must help the Secretary on request, as resources allow.