Plastic pallet company refutes toxin-leaching claims
- Filed in:
- Shipping platforms/bulk,
- Material health,
- Beverage,
- Food
According to an article published in FoodProductionDaily.com, Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) has labeled allegations by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that a toxic chemical contained in its products can leach into food as “misleading, inaccurate, and highly suspect.”
In June, the EWG sent a letter to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration urging that plastic pallets using the fire retardant decabromodiphenyl ether (Deca) be banned, saying it believes that the neurotoxin could be migrating into food during the process of hydro cooling.
In a rebuttal letter issued to the Australian Financial Review, which publicized the EWG’s claims, iGPS rejected the allegations, claiming that it offers the world’s most advanced and safest pallet.
“On June 24, 2009, iGPS received confirmation that its pallet passed the pre-certification testing requirements under NSF/ANSI 51-2009 for use in food preparation splash zones, further confirming its safety in conjunction with food,” iGPS told FoodProductionDaily.com. “In addition, independent testing of our pallet has documented no detectable transfer of decabromine to foods—or even to food packaging—when shipped on the iGPS pallet.”
Responding to charges that Deca was carcinogenic, iGPS said: “No authoritative governmental public health, environmental or regulatory agency in the world classifies decabromine as a known or suspected carcinogen.”
To read the complete article, go to “Plastic pallet company rejects decabromodiphenyl ether leaching claims.”
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I would like to clarify some of the information that the July 21, 2009, article entitled, “Plastic pallet company rejects decabromodiphenyl ether leaching claims,” stated about iGPS and NSF/ANSI 51. You referenced this article in your July 28, 2009, article entitled, “Plastic pallet company refutes toxin-leaching claims.”
The pallets made by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) are not certified by NSF International. NSF has certified this type of product, but its end use application has been for splash and nonfood contact applications. Splash zone applications are defined as surfaces other than those in a food zone that are subject to splash, spillage, or other food soiling during operation. If this type of product is evaluated for food contact, the design and construction would have to meet food zone requirements, and the materials would need to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21. If these requirements are met, the product would then be identified in NSF's online listings (http://www.nsf.org/business/search_listings), specifying that this product is also acceptable for food contact applications.
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