IBIE - 2019 Show Daily, Tuesday - 18

ABA wins tray loss battle
New law in Texas places steep penalties for stolen equipment

n Texas, tray theft has cost
more than $25 million in lost
equipment and operational disruptions over the past
several years. However, the
American Bakers Association (ABA, Booth No. GL1)
together with the support of
Texas Rep. Cole Hefner and
Sen. Bryan Hughes pushed
the Tray Loss and Prevention
Law, H.B. 4584, that gives law
enforcement and prosecutors
tools to assist baking companies in fighting the epidemic.
In June, the Lone Star State's
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the
legislation into law that provides a major step to battle
tray loss by increasing penalties and fines - and even
civil penalties and recovery
of prosecution costs - while
placing requirements on re-

cyclers to collect
information from
those seeking to
recycle more than
five covered containers, according
to Kelly Knowles,
ABA's vice-president of state
and political affairs.
That information, along with
private investigative tools and
reports from route drivers,
could be used to build a case
against suspected thieves.
"Unfortunately, we have
seen the problem grow every
year as the loss of plastic delivery and storage containers
can reach as high as 60% in
major metropolitan areas, including Houston and El Paso,"
Ms. Knowles explained.
The initiative is a key victory
for ABA's State Affairs Work-

ing Group, which
targets issues that
potentially affect
the baking industry as a whole but
can be resolved
more quickly, effectively and strategically on a
state level.
Ms. Knowles, along with
ABA member bakers including
Dan Stone, senior vice-president supply chain logistics for
Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods, testified before the
Texas legislature. In all, more
than a dozen bakers along with
their major foodservice and retail customers throughout the
state supported the legislation.
"The theft of these trays is of
substantial importance to the
baking industry and other food
industries," said ABA's State

Affairs Working Group Chair
Craig Pizer of Bimbo Bakeries
USA, Horsham, PA. "The final
signature on this legislation
provides law enforcement with
the seamless legal framework to
deter and prosecute this pervasive and serious criminal activity for the health of the Texas
economy and the health of the
environment."
Spearheaded by ABA's recent strategic initiative, the
newly formed State Affairs
Working Group will be looking to tackle additional regional issues that can have
a meaningful impact on the
daily operations of bakers.
In the meantime, the message
is out: Don't mess with Texas
when it comes to tray theft.
- Dan Malovany,
Baking & Snack

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18 * IBIE * Tuesday, September 10, 2019

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IBIE - 2019 Show Daily, Tuesday

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