Spurred by the adoption of the ISPM 15, Plastic pallets are now being produced and used widely in the U.S. and Europe. It is about time the same is done in Nigeria and West Africa.
The International Standards ForPhytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) is an International Phytosanitary Measure developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) that directly addresses the need to treat wood materials of a thickness greater than 6mm, used to ship products between countries. Its main purpose is to prevent the international transport and spread of disease and insects that could negatively affect plants or ecosystems. ISPM 15 affects all wood packaging material (pallets, crates, dunnages, etc.) requiring that they be debarked and then heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and stamped or branded, with a mark of compliance. This mark of compliance is colloquially known as the “wheat stamp”. Products exempt from the ISPM 15 are made from alternative material, like paper, plastic or wood panel products (i.e. OSB, hardboard, and plywood)*
According to Wikipedia “Regulatory standards for wood packaging material (WPM) in international trade require it to be either heat treated or fumigated in accordance to ISPM 15 guidelines. The European Pallet Association, established in 1991, monitors the standards set for Euro pallets, which pallets used to export product from America must meet. Both European and American companies have embraced plastic as an attractive alternative to the original wooden material in packaging and shipping pallets”
The benefits of plastic pallets over wood pallets are listed as the ability to be easily sanitized, resistance to odor, fire retardancy, longer service life span, durability and better product protection, non-splintering, and lighter weight, thus saving on transportation and labor costs and making them safer and more environmentally friendly. Wood pallets can pose serious bio-hazard risks as they are susceptible to bacterial and chemical contamination, such as E. coli problems in food and produce transportation and even insect infestation, and thus the need for ISPM.
Plastic pallets are re-usable and recyclable, while used wood pallets have disposal issues.
In news reports since the turn of the decade, shipping pallets have been implicated in a couple of cases of bacterial and chemical contamination. Testing confirmed that pallets if not properly controlled could pose grave danger to the health and safety of consumers. In the wake of the recent recall of E. coli-tainted romaine lettuce, the oldest consumer organization in the US, the National Consumers League (NCL), is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set minimum sanitary and safety standards for the “unregulated but crucial” pallets that are used to transport food throughout the United States.
The move by NCL comes following recent exploratory tests conducted by the organization on pallets to determine whether they are potential carriers of pathogens, as concerns grow about the link between pallets and contamination of food and pharmaceuticals. The consumer group tested pallets for food-borne pathogens, including E. coli and Listeria. The findings were alarming: 10 percent of the wood pallets tested had E. coli present.
Wooden pallets pose other dangerous risks. Contamination from chemicals used to treat wood pallets was cited in a recent voluntary recall of TYLENOL Arthritis pain reliever. The chemical contamination caused nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain in consumers. Wood pallets made with “engineered wood” components contain urea formaldehyde – a known carcinogen – which may come into contact with food under a variety of scenarios when it is stored and shipped on wooden pallets. Formaldehyde is also released into the air when it off-gases from pallets in storage and transportation compartments, posing a risk to the health of workers and consumers. Wood pallets are susceptible to insect infestation and require heat treatment or fumigation before they can be moved cross-border. Fumigation is often performed with methyl bromide, a highly toxic, ozone-depleting chemical.
Plastic pallets are the ideal alternative to wooden pallets. Plastic pallets are also truly attractive because they can be made from recycled plastics as is being done at Shongai Packaging which has two high-tech plastic recycling plants with an overall production capacity of 100 metric tons per day. The recycling plant provides strong hygienic, durable plastic for foods and beverages as well as biscuits.
*Sources: Wikipedia/Google
