The trade body was responding to legal action filed by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) against the industry group and its president. The plastic pallet company has alleged that NWPCA statements suggesting its pallets could be linked to a recent butter contamination in the Dallas area were “false, malicious and defamatory”.
Credible sources
But in a statement to FoodProductionDaily.com, Bruce Scholnick, president of the wooden pallet body, said: “NWPCA is comfortable that the data distributed in our recent news release is supportable and founded on credible sources of evidence. We believe the lawsuit by Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) is a distraction meant to draw attention from the core of what NWPCA is advocating, which is to have a zero tolerance for all polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants in the food and pharmaceutical industries.”
In its press release on 7 December 2007 entitled ‘Plastic Pallets Should be Investigated in Butter Contamination Scandal”, the NWPCA referred to a study from the University of Texas that had discovered high levels of a flame retardant chemical, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), in butter purchased in Texas.
The body noted the researchers speculated that the cause of the butter tainting was the packaging but added “given the high levels of PBDE used in the plastic pallets, they should be examined as the root source of transfer to the food”. It also called for further testing of food that is transported on plastic pallets.
Elimination
“NWPCA believes that elimination of these risky chemicals should be part of the field-to-fork food safety goals inherent in the food modernization goals currently being considered by Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – not only those contained in plastic pallets, but in all products used in the food and pharmaceutical industries,” added Scholnick.
A spokesman for iGPS said: “The iGPS pallet had absolutely no connection to the Texas butter contamination findings. NWPCA's misleading press release to the contrary was baseless and defamatory. Since this matter is now in litigation, iGPS cannot comment further.”
In its complaint to the District Court of Dallas County, the Florida-based firm is seeking punitive damages and has called for an injunction against NWPCA forbidding it from issuing “false and deceptive” statements that iGPS’ pallets contaminate food or other erroneous data that may damage its business.