The Audacity of 2010

Now more than ever, it's time for material handling professionals to prepare for big changes in 2010. Businesses should rely on legal counsel, human resources and/or government affairs departments, industry trade associations and trade media for assistance if and when the proposals are approved.

Still, managers shouldn't wait for legislation to happen. Internal audits, as well as policy reviews and revisions, can help ensure compliance and prepare operations for changes. Additionally, managers must ensure that all supervisory employees are kept informed of, and held accountable to, current labor laws and regulations.

Jennifer L. Neumann, senior counsel, and Michael W. Groebe, associate, are members of the Foley & Lardner LLP labor and employment practice and automotive industry teams. For more information, contact Neumann at jneumann@foley.com or Groebe at mgroebe@foley.com.

Legislative Watch

Following are bills currently in Congress that could significantly impact material handling operations.

Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510, H.R. 875) and Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749)

The Food Safety Modernization Act has been referred to committee, while the Food Safety Enhancement Act passed the House of Representatives in late July. Introduced in March by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), S. 510 is the Senate's own version of the Food Safety Enhancement Act. Legislators expect to combine the House and Senate versions into a single bill.

At the first Senate hearing in late October, Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association testified to the produce industry's commitment to food safety from field to table, due in large part to the Produce Traceability Initiative, an industry-wide effort to develop a standardized supply chain traceability system.

In a separate move to enhance traceability, 55 major foodservice manufacturers, distributors and operators collectively founded the foodservice GS1 US standards initiative to develop a common timeline for voluntary, individual company implementation of GS1 global standards for company identification, item identification and product description. Forty-five of the founding member companies have committed to the timeline. GS1 US, a nonprofit standards organization, administers the Universal Product Code and develops worldwide standards for identification codes, data carriers and electronic commerce.

The ultimate goal is 75% adoption of GS1 standards throughout the foodservice industry by 2015. The objectives are three-fold: to drive waste out of the foodservice supply chain, improve product information for customers and establish a foundation for improving food safety and traceability.

TRACE Act of 2009 (H.R. 814)

This bill would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Egg Products Inspection Act to improve the safety of food, meat, and poultry products through traceability. In April, it was referred to committee.

Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act (S. 425)

S. 425 would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish a traceability system for food and amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspections Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to strengthen enforcement of public health and food safety laws. In February, the bill was referred to committee.