Hygienic plastic pallets for food and pharma

FDA does not approve pallet models. It regulates food and the equipment and practices around it. The sanitary transportation rule covers shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers moving human or animal food by motor or rail in the US, and it requires transport equipment to be suitable and adequately cleanable. It exempts operations under $500,000 average annual revenue and food fully enclosed in a container unless it needs temperature control.

So the question for a supplier is not "is it approved" but "what is it made of, what colourant is in it, and what can you show me in writing". A used Nelson 48 x 40 example is listed as pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact. Read listings word by word.

1. Resin: HDPE or polypropylene, named on the model sheet.
2. Virgin resin or recycled content, with the percentage. Nelson Company says recycled-material pallets often meet general FDA requirements, while a product that touches the pallet directly may need non-blended virgin HDPE.
3. Colourant document for the exact colour. Some makers offer FDA-approved colours on certain models.
4. Ratings: static load, dynamic load and, if racked, racking load.
5. Cleaning guidance from the maker, and any temperature range.

PHS lists a 56 x 44 beverage pallet (STK 285) at 2,500 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. A 43 x 43 is designed for bulk bags, including food additives, feed and pharmaceuticals. The footprint decides the shelf, the conveyor and the trailer plan.

Hygienic docks buy the same pallet again and again. That is a standing supply, and it is written once: model, resin, colour, papers. Trailer counts come from the maker's own figures. For a 48 x 40 nestable, one maker lists 1,260 per 53 ft trailer; another lists 2,340 for a lightweight design.

Use the truckload planner to compare, and ask for the papers with the quote. For the whole question of food use, read the food safe plastic pallets guide.

1. Footprint and quantity, for example 48 x 40 in trailers.
2. The three ratings, or the stack height and weight of a case layer.
3. The papers wanted: resin, colourant, intended use and the temperature range.
4. Whether the pallet touches product, which decides whether virgin resin is asked for.
5. Delivery dock, month and whether a standing supply follows.

A request in that shape can be answered with a model and a document. One in the shape "food safe pallets, 500" cannot, because the word safe is not a rating.