The Cold Chain Policy Forum, hosted virtually this year by the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) has broken attendance records. Nearly 200 registrants–double the number of 2019 registrants–heard from US regulatory agencies including USDA, OSHA, FDA, and EPA, as well as the noted law firms of Jackson Lewis and Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary. The event provided the opportunity for participants to hear the latest developments on key regulatory programs, as well as continue building positive industry relations with agency partners impacting the US cold chain.
“Advocacy initiatives are one of the four pillars of our strategic plan. With our advocacy efforts, we strive to proactively influence rules and regulations, lead the dialogue on issues impacting the cold chain, and mitigate the impact of regulations on industry while achieving public policy objectives. Today’s Forum shows the positive result of these efforts,” President & CEO Matthew Ott, CAE, CMP said.
A major theme of the event was the importance of industry engagement in working with agencies on evolving policies. GCCA efforts have resulted in several improvements on the regulatory front. For example, participants heard from the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) that the agency is planning to integrate numerous improvements into its Public Health Information System (PHIS) in August that will address issues raised by GCCA and its industry partners, discussed throughout the event. Another one of those areas discussed was related to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP). GCCA has also been active in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program rulemaking process over the last several years that culminated in December 2019 with the issuance of a Final Rule that reduces the regulatory burden on facilities while maintaining safety.
“I am excited by the record-breaking turnout for the 2020 Cold Chain Policy Forum. This tremendous level of engagement is critical to our continued success in building relationships with agency partners and achieving positive change for policies impacting our industry,” Lowell Randel, senior vice president of Government and Legal Affairs added.