The "Swedish Wood Study" and the risks to our food supply from wood pallets
As part of its ongoing disinformation campaign asserting that wood pallets are a sustainable and hygienic platform for the world’s supply chain, the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) has recently pointed to external ”studies” which allegedly support its position. A close look at the material , however, shows quite the opposite: that far from being objective, they are sponsored by the wood industry and, even more damning, actually highlight in detail how extensively bacteria, insects and vermin are associated with wood pallets.
The study most recently referenced by NWPCA is entitled: “Project Report No. 8, Wood in the food industry – guidelines for handling wooden pallets and packaging.” In the introduction to this project report, its authors bemoan the declining use of wood in connection with food and cite “discrimination” against it. Even with this less-than-objective orientation, the authors actually disclose in detail the food safety risks associated with wood pallets—bacteria, insects and vermin. To combat these risks, the authors call for extensive countermeasures, which are rarely, if ever, followed.
Here are a few examples, lifted directly from the report—
“Use clean, dry pallets for the food industry. Wooden pallets should not be stored unprotected outdoors in order to avoid biological, physical and chemical contamination.”
iGPS notes that it is common practice for wood pallets to be stored outdoors, exposing them to elements, vermin, bacteria and insects.
"Keep pallets separated—special pallets for hygiene zones.”
iGPS notes that it is common practice that wooden pallets are intermingled, with no credible means to track or sort them for specific uses.
“To avoid contamination a possible, cheap and easy solution is to use wooden pallets with slip-sheet on top…The pallets can be kept in separate zones and the slip sheets can be made of different materials, expendable or reusable.”
iGPS notes that use of “slip sheets” or other material to protect food from wood pallets is rare.
“Don’t store pallets outdoors. Don’t stack pallets directly upon each other.”
iGPS notes, again, that wooden pallets are routinely stored outdoors, exposed to elements, vermin, bacteria and insects.
“Pallet can during outside storage be contaminated. Birds, rats, mice and highly mobile insects are example of possible sources for contamination or transmission of microorganisms. Clean dry pallets should be used in the food industry. Wooden pallets should not be stored unprotected outdoors in order to avoid biological, physical and chemical contamination.”
iGPS notes that, in addition to its comments above, the wood industry identifies specific carriers of contamination (and, in the report, the authors even include alarming pictures of them). Yet, it is common to store pallets outdoors, exposed to the elements, vermin, bacteria, insects and fire.
“Different species and different treatments of the pallets might be necessary for different hygienic requirements. Ongoing studies in the project will give more information.”
iGPS notes that even the wood industry’s own research acknowledges that more investigation is required to determine the safety of wood pallets—not merely in terms of food, but also related to fire safety and worker safety.
Once again, NWPCA plays fast and loose with the truth.
