FSMA Requirements Temperature Recorders and Frozen Product Shipment

Is it correct that FSMA does not require temperature recorders on trailers transporting frozen food, since frozen product shipment does not render the food 'unsafe' during transportation? 

Also, would like to know your thoughts on rejecting a trailer of frozen product with trailer ambient temperature at 23 F (tail end of the trailer), 19 F (mid section of the trailer), and 14 F (nose end of the trailer) ? 

Thank you.

Piki

Hello Piki,

I think FSMA requires temperature monitoring only for feedstuff that require temperature control for safety.

In my opinion, frozen feedstuff should be monitored, but that depends on the length of the trip and the type on food.

May I ask, what type of product is being transported and the time length of the transport?

Regards,

Ismene

Hello Ismene,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We ship frozen pizza crusts and frozen topped pizzas.

Piki

The best temperature for frozen products is <-0,4F. Higher temperature may cause the growth of moulds and can affect the crusts.

The FSMA transportation rule does exempt frozen food- when the thawing of food will cause only quality and not food safety issues.  With pizza I would imagine that there is no food safety concern, but it certainly would affect the quality of your product.

I have worked with raw, frozen fish products that are vacuum packed and labeled with the statement "Important: Keep frozen until used. Thaw under refrigeration immediately before use" (or similar language), where the product must be kept frozen since there are no other controls to prevent growth of C. botulinum.   In this case, we consider that frozen temperature control (<0F/-18C) is required for food safety, and thus the provisions of the transportation rule would apply even though the product is frozen.