What makes a bulk container FDA or USDA-compliant?

When handling food or food products, many important regulations need to be followed. The FDA and USDA share most of the responsibility of food safety inspection, which involves the storage containers used in food processing facilities. We understand how important these regulations are to your business, so we offer FDA and USDA-compliant containers.

In the United States, two government agencies regulate the inspection of food products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are some complicated divisions between the regulation boundaries of the two agencies and additional divisions that fall under both the FDA and USDA.

The FDA regulates around 80% of the United States’ food supply, including eggshells, bottled water, processed produce, packaged foods, seafood, and dairy. The USDA regulates the safety of meat, poultry, raw produce, and egg products. There are a few confusing conflicts with these rules. For instance, the FDA is responsible for regulated chicken feed, but the chicken laying would fall under the USDA. Similar to how the FDA regulates eggshells but the USDA regulates egg products.

So, what does this all mean for storing your food products? When finding the appropriate food storage container to fit your needs best, make sure it is an FDA-compliant container. Per the USDA website, the FDA approval will cover both the FDA and USDA regulations, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves all food packaging materials. Any material intended for use in food packaging must be formulated in compliance with FDA requirements for its intended use.” [USDA, 2015].

Depending on your needs, we have quite a few different options for bulk containers made with FDA-approved materials. We have collapsible options and fixed wall options. Our Gaylord with Steel Reinforcements can handle a heavy load, sidewall pressure, and flowable materials. If you are looking for a container that holds liquids, our Rail Certified Reusable Plastic Gaylord comes in both a top discharge and bottom discharge option, and it can hold 3,300 lbs., is stackable, and collapsible. All our FDA-complaint containers will have a smooth interior, which makes cleaning quick and easy. Our FDA-compliant containers are forklift accessible, stackable, and offer a lid.

For a list of our, FDA-compl iant c ontainers visit rppcontaine rs.c om, click on “Applica tio ns” (near the top of the page), and then click on “Food/Be ver age” on the drop-down tab. For questions or more information, please give RPP Containers a call, and we will help you select the best option for your application.