Tests Find Wood Pallets Harbor Deadly Food Poisoning Bacteria

Washington Metropolitan Area wood pallet samples test positive for Salmonella,
E. coli, Listeria

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood pallets used to ship food in the
Washington Metropolitan Area tested positive for three types of deadly food
poisoning bacteria, raising new concerns about the risks wood pallets pose to
the nation's food supply.

The discovery was made in a new test commissioned by Intelligent Global
Pooling Systems (iGPS Company LLC), operator of the world's first pallet
rental service providing shippers and receivers with all-plastic pallets with
embedded RFID tags. iGPS gathered samples from wood pallets located at markets
and food retailers in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas, and submitted
them to an outside scientific laboratory for testing.

In a limited and random sample, over one-third of the pallets tested positive
for one or more of Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and extremely high bacteria
counts - as much as 6.8 million spores per gram - indicating unsanitary
conditions that also could pose a food-safety risk. The pallets tested were
included in unsanitary wood pallets videotaped by iGPS, which is making that
video available today to the news media (http://www.igps.net./new_video.php).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 76 million
food borne illness cases occur every year in the United States. This amounts
to one in four Americans becoming ill after eating foods contaminated with
such pathogens as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and others. Salmonella
bacteria cause at least 40,000 illnesses a year in the U.S., and an estimated
400 deaths, the CDC reports. E. coli is a potentially lethal group of
bacteria that every year sickens more than 70,000 Americans. Listeria
contributes to the deaths of 500 people annually in the U.S. and 2,500 serious
illnesses, according to the CDC. The dangers of E. coli, and how easily it can
spread, were made clear in a recent story in The New York Times, which
recounts how dance instructor Stephanie Smith was paralyzed and put in a coma
for two months after she ate hamburger meat contaminated with a dangerous
strain of E. coli.

"These tests support our long-held concerns about wood pallets and the risk
they present to America's food supply," said Bob Moore, Chairman and CEO,
iGPS. "Consumers need to know that the food they buy may have been sitting on
filthy wood pallets containing pathogens. The limited tests we've conducted
underscore the need for the FDA to conduct a comprehensive investigation and
adopt appropriate measures to mitigate the risks presented by wood pallets.
Wood pallets open up the food supply to contamination. Federal authorities
need to understand how pervasive that threat is."

Moore went on to note that rusty nails protruding from wood pallets are a
significant problem because they can penetrate food packaging, and break off
into products. Cargill, the beef producer, found nails in meat ingredients
being fed into grinders, according to TheNew York Times article.

iGPS sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month
calling upon the agency to launch a full investigation into the use of wood
pallets in connection with the storage and shipment of food
(http://www.igps.net/about/press.php?id=57). iGPS said the inherently porous
nature of wood allows it to easily absorb bacteria and fluids, making the over
one billion wood pallets in circulation in the United States a highly
conducive breeding ground for harmful bacteria that can contaminate food.

The issue of wood pallet safety is particularly timely and relevant as
Congress considers new legislation that would require the FDA to create a
better system for tracing food in the wake of several high-profile recalls of
contaminated food in recent years.

Testing Procedures

In the test, iGPS collected used, in-circulation wood pallets from food
retailers and food markets in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas. Using
proper handling procedures, the field-testing team gathered the samples and
shipped them in refrigerated packages to the Environmental Systems Service
(ESS) laboratory in Bedford, VA, for testing. ESS conducts food-safety
testing, including pathogen screening and microbiological analysis, for the
federal government, corporations and private clients
(http://www.ess-services.com/food_dairy_testing.html).

About iGPS

iGPS operates the world's first pallet rental service providing shippers and
receivers with all-plastic pallets with embedded RFID tags. iGPS'
state-of-the-art pallets are 30 percent lighter than wood, which saves on
transport costs and helps reduce green house gases. Its pallets are also more
hygienic, easier to handle and, because they eliminate protruding nails and
splinters, reduce workplace injuries and damaged equipment. Embedded RFID
tags enable shippers and receivers to track and trace shipments in real time.
And iGPS pallets are 100% recyclable. Launched in March 2006, the company is
led by pallet and supply chain veterans with decades of experience. iGPS
(www.igps.net) is headquartered in Orlando, FL.

SOURCE iGPS

Lewis Taffer, +1-321-281-9212