In the EU food hygiene regulation, transport is Chapter IV of Annex II, and the annex's introduction applies that chapter to all transportation. For a business exporting to Europe, Article 10 makes the link: food imported into the EU must meet the hygiene requirements of Articles 3 to 6.
- Conveyances and containers are kept clean and in good repair and, where necessary, built to allow proper cleaning and disinfection.
- Receptacles carry nothing other than food where this may lead to contamination.
- When other goods or different foods travel at the same time, products are effectively separated where necessary.
- Bulk food in liquid, granulate or powder form travels only in receptacles reserved for food, marked clearly and indelibly, for example 'for foodstuffs only'.
- After non-food goods or a different food, there is effective cleaning between loads.
- Food is placed and protected so as to minimise the risk of contamination.
- Where necessary, conveyances and containers can hold food at appropriate temperatures and allow those temperatures to be monitored.
The seventh point is the one that decides cold chain equipment, because it asks for two things. An insulated container with eutectic plates holds the temperature; a logger or thermometer on the container makes it monitorable. Since 2021, point 9 of Chapter IX also reaches transport: a vehicle or container that carried an allergen is cleaned and checked at least for visible residue before it carries food free of that allergen.
In Türkiye, Article 13 of the Food Hygiene Regulation carries the same seven provisions. The dispatch procedure takes its headings from these points, and under each one the business writes what it does and which record it keeps.
