Issue View | Council I | 2018 Biennial Meeting

This is a brand new Issue.

Creation of a Committee - Safety of Third Party Delivery Services (TPDS)

As diners shift from on-site to off-site dining in restaurants for convenience, third party delivery services (TPDS) are replacing diner restaurant visits. Since the food is out of the control of the preparing restaurant, there are inherent risks associated with the chain of custody.

The TPDS are comprised of independent delivery drivers who may not be familiar with practices related to safe food handling. This potential lack of food safety knowledge, the ability of abusing time/temperature standards, and the possibility of mishandling the food, all pose a food safety risk to the end consumer of the delivered food.

Food being delivered by a third party could be subjected to several factors affecting food safety. These include:

1. Food could become unsafe for consumption if kept outside the temperature safe zones for prolonged periods of time during delivery.

2. Food could become unsafe for human consumption if the food becomes contaminated with a foreign object(s) during delivery.

3. Food could become unsafe for human consumption for allergic consumers if the food is adulterated with an allergenic substance during delivery.

that a Third Party Delivery Service (TPDS) Committee be formed to explore the food safety ramifications of third party services delivering restaurant food to consumers. Committee charges will include, but not be limited to:

1. Establishing minimum guidelines for the safe delivery of food by TPDS entities.
2. Recommending a food safety training curriculum for the TPDS.
3. Developing chain-of-custody records from the restaurant to the TPDS.
4. Reporting its finding and recommendations back to the Conference at the 2020 Biennial Meeting.