Bulletin 198 · styles
Hygienic or food-safe pallets are recycled like any HDPE or PP pallet: sorted, ground into regrind and moulded again. FDA does not approve pallet models; ask the supplier for resin and colourant documentation.
Five questions and a photo. We say what we think happens next once the pallets have been seen.
FDA does not approve pallet models; ask the supplier for resin and colourant documentation.
Hygienic pallets are smooth, closed-deck designs made for washdown. FDA does not approve pallet models, so food safe on a label means the maker’s documentation. Once retired, the resin is feedstock like any other, but regrind is not for food contact.
A sound hygienic pallet is worth more as a pallet. Pharma and food plants retire them for audit reasons, often while sound.
Colour coding and zone marks are company-owned, not pool marks.
A closed or solid deck, smooth surfaces and no crevices where residue sits. Some come in colours that mark zones. The pallet is built to be washed.
A pallet that has carried food or been washed with chemicals may hold residue. A recycler wants to know what it carried, because that decides the route for the regrind.
The sources say FDA does not approve pallet models. Treat any food safe claim as the maker’s statement and ask for documentation.
What did the pallet carry? Was it washed, and with what? Is the deck closed? What colour is it, and does the colour mean a zone? Does the maker hold documentation on the resin and colourant? The answers decide the next step.
The point of a hygienic pallet is that it can be cleaned: a closed or smooth deck, rounded corners and drain points so wash water does not sit. These features are also what you describe to a recycler, because a pallet that was washed between loads has a different history from one that never was. Say how it was cleaned and what it carried, and keep any maker documentation with the lot.
| Spec | Example |
|---|---|
| Direct contact | Stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE |
| Colour options | FDA-approved colours offered on some models |
| Used 48x40 example | Listed pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact |
Yes. Hygienic pallets are smooth, closed-deck designs made for washdown.
A sound hygienic pallet is worth more as a pallet.
Colour coding and zone marks are company-owned, not pool marks.
That is your food safety plan’s question. Ask the maker for documents.
Yes, if you describe what it held and how it was cleaned.
Sources, reviewed Nov 12, 2026: nelsoncompany.com.