Letter to the Editor: RPC food safety
Letter to the Editor: RPC food safety
To the editor,
Regarding the story that appears in the Nov. 17 issue of The Produce News titled “New UC Davis Study Backs Up Earlier Canadian Findings that RPC Process Could Harbor Contaminants”:
The Reusable Packaging Association and its member companies have a strong commitment to food safety. For generations, containers made from a variety of materials have been used to safely and efficiently move fresh food from farms to retail locations.
Reusable Packaging Containers have revolutionized the transportation of fresh food since their U.S. introduction in 2002 because they are safe and efficient. RPCs, which can be safely used many times, help reduce the cost of fresh food for American families. RPCs are also an environmentally sustainable product, eliminating millions of tons of solid waste each year and requiring nearly 50 percent less energy to make and transport over their lifecycle than some alternative packaging.
RPCs also have an impeccable track record when it comes to food safety. They are inherently safe, and each container regularly undergoes routine cleaning to ensure it meets federal government and industry standards for mitigating the possibility of contamination.
Simply stated, recent studies, including the latest one from the University of California-Davis, are not connected to any specific safety issue and should in no way detract from the strong safety record RPCs have earned over the last two decades.
The reusable packaging industry is committed to working with growers, transporters and the entire fresh food value chain to ensure RPCs maintain their stellar food-safety record, while reducing the cost of groceries and contributing to a more sustainable environment.
Jerry Welcome
President & CEO
Reusable Packaging Association
Linden, VA