Extensive tests by the German Institute for Food Technology reveal wooden pallets are more hygienic than plastic for the transport of food.
Now the Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) is to highlight the research to the British government and the food handling industry.
TIMCON president Paul Davidson said until now the general opinion among com-panies needing pallets for hygienic purposes was that plastic was superior to wood.
He said: ‘We have had mixed environmental messages about the hygienic aspects of wooden pallets over the last few years. To have such an unequivocal statement of the benefits over plastic is excellent news, particularly because it is the German Institute for Food Technology who did the research and not a timber-based body.’
The institute conducted on-site tests at 14 companies in the meat, dairy, vegetable and bakery sectors, where commercial wooden pallets, 500 special timber ‘hygienic’ treated pallets and plastic pallets were in use.
After six months and 15,000 bacterial measurements, the overall germ count on the commercial wooden pallets (made from various timbers) was on average 15% lower than on their plastic rivals.
The hygienic timber pallets made from fir heartwood recorded on average half the microbial load of the plastic.
Germany’s federal association for wooden packaging, pallets and export packaging – Bundesverband Holzpackmittel Paletten Exportverpackungen – has invited industrial circles to rethink their approach on timber packaging and for legislators to amend regulations in which wooden materials in the food sector were prohibited.
