The Food and Drug Administration is offering a free, one-hour training module to assist motor carriers in meeting the requirements of FDA’s Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule, also known as the Sanitary Transportation Rule.

The Sanitary Transportation Rule requires carriers covered by the rule to provide food safety training to employees engaged in transportation operations. This applies when the carrier and shipper have agreed in a written contract that the carrier is responsible, in whole or in part, for the sanitary conditions during transportation.

Fleets are required to establish and maintain records documenting the training of operations personnel. The module can be used to:

• Satisfy the minimum requirements

• Complement or enhance training they currently offer

• Train personnel using their own training programs

• Provide training obtained from a third-party vendor or other provider

This course is designed to provide basic food safety training to transportation operations personnel, but it does not include specific operating procedures and practices. It is intended to complement industry best practices already in place.

The new module will help carriers recognize their responsibilities as specified in the Sanitary Transportation Rule, identify potential food safety problems during transport, and highlight common ways to prevent food safety problems.

The FDA offers two ways transportation operations personnel can complete the module, either through an online course or by downloading the course files and importing them into their own learning management system.

Related: FDA Reveals Final Rule for Hauling Food Safely