Used gaylords and food: what to check

What we will not say

We will not say a gaylord is food grade. Corrugated board is porous, sheds fibers and carries whatever it touched before. A used box has a history. Whether a particular box suits a food or produce program depends on the buyer's own rules and on what the box held.

What buyers do

Growers use octabins as watermelon bins and pumpkin bins, and packers use gaylords for sweet potatoes and squash. In practice they put a poly liner inside, choose a box whose previous load was clean, and keep it away from damp floors. The decision to accept the box belongs to the buyer or the buyer's customer.

Questions to ask first

1. What did the box carry before? A dry parts load is different from a chemical.
2. Is there a liner, and is it new?
3. Does your program allow corrugated at all?
4. Is the box dry, clean and free of odors?

If any answer is no, pick another box.

Where the choices sit

Why we say it plainly

Produce and food buyers ask, and the honest answer protects them. A page that said a used box was food safe would put someone's load at risk. We describe what we can see: the grade, the wall count and the history we were told, and we leave the food decision with the buyer.

Related

A liner is the usual barrier. The produce growers page has the harvest questions. If your load is a regulated good rather than food, the UN-rated page is the one to read.

Next step

Send the request with the product, the footprint and the liner. We say what we can match and where we cannot help.

A seller's checklist before you mention food

Write down what the box carried last, in plain words, and whether a bag or liner sat between the load and the board. Note whether the box has stood near anything with a smell, such as paint, solvent or fuel, because corrugated absorbs odor. State how long it has been stored and where. A buyer who intends a clean use will ask for exactly these facts, and a seller who has them ready spares everyone a round of questions. This site does not call any used box food safe; it helps you describe the history so the next user can decide.

Questions from the dock

Is a used gaylord food grade?

Corrugated is not a food-contact surface. A liner and a clean history are the buyer's call, and we do not promise a used box is food safe.

Can I ship produce in a used gaylord?

Growers do, with a liner and a box whose history is known. The buyer sets the rules.

Do you sell food-grade gaylords?

We do not make that claim. Ask for a box with the history you need and decide for your program.