Food security worries may tighten transport rules

Growing government concern about food safety and security should speed up demands for fail-safe inspections to detect and prevent contamination in the nation's food supply, according to Fletcher Hall, president of F.R. Hall & Associates and former executive director of the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference.

“Serious concerns about food safety and security from ‘farm to fork’ are expected to result in new laws and regulations that will affect how commercial agricultural and food transporters move, process and distribute all food products throughout the U.S.,” said Hall during a speech at the American Trucking Assns.’ recent Security Council meeting in Orlando.

”The transportation of agricultural and food products, in the face of a continuing threat of contamination of America's food supply, is a challenge that will confront business and government for a very long time,” he said.

Hall pointed to the recent contamination of pet food as an example of how a product in the food chain can be compromised. The incident may result in new laws and regulations regarding the transportation, processing and distribution of all food products within the U.S.

“The need to guarantee safe food in an interdependent global trading environment will speed up action by members of Congress to examine the best possible ways to prevent contamination of the nation’s food supply,” he stressed.