Import Safety Working Group shares new vision for policing imports
Import Safety Working Group shares new vision for policing imports
WASHINGTON -- Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt pointed to his tour of a lettuc-e-processing plant as an example of the life-cycle approach to food safety that should be incorporated in a plan to improve the safety of imports.
At a Sept. 11 press briefing, Mr. Leavitt explained the report's fundamental change in import policing. The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, made up of senior administration officials, forwarded the report to the White House less than two months after it was charged with developing a plan to improve the safety of imports.
"It's a change from an intervention-focused strategy to a risk-based approach focused on prevention with verification. Instead of a point-in-time assessment at the border, we're recommending a focus on the full import life cycle, building safety into the products that we purchase every step of the way," he said.
Some sectors are already doing this, he noted as he recounted his experience at a lettuce-processing plant, one of the 20 stops Mr. Leavitt made during the summer as part of a fact-finding mission to understand import operations.
"As the lettuce [comes] in the door, it's marked in a way that would allow it to be tracked back to the row on which it was picked, the time of day in which it was picked," said Mr. Leavitt. "And talking to the processing manager, he said, our motto is, 'know your grower.' He said, I not only want to know where it was picked and what time it was picked, I want to know the nutrients that were given to that lettuce; I want to know the kind of water that was provided; I want to know about the quality every step of the process, every step along the way.'"
The report said that federal agencies will need to seek new authority to identify and punish bad actors, assure sufficient data accompanies shipments and share data on import transactions from the various government-run automated systems.
"We found that there were data systems that are used by the FDA, where an FDA inspector would need to have five passwords to get into five different parts of the FDA system," said Mr. Leavitt.
But the report is silent about the costs of building a new import-safety program.
"Although additional resources and authorities may be needed, that will be evaluated after the comment period and after we've put together the specifics of the implementation plan," he said.
The working group is holding a public meeting Oct. 1 in Washington, DC, to receive comment on the role the government and industry can take in better protecting Americans from unsafe imports.
When asked about the role of importers in meeting the new vision outlined in the report, Mr. Leavitt replied that importers and domestic suppliers will need to meet U.S. standards.
"Now in many cases that means we have to produce a standard, because there isn't a standard for everything. And second of all, we need to have a means by which we can assure its being met," he said.
"Now in many cases, if we're looking at this large picture from a snapshot to a video, in many cases that may mean that we develop sufficient confidence in the exporting country's certification process, and then we essentially audit their process. They refer to that as certification. That's a legitimate tool," he said.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America praised the new report, saying it incorporated many of the industry's suggestions.
"For instance, the food industry believes that, while inspections are an important component of our nation's food safety net, inspections alone are not the pathway to a safer food supply," said Mary Sophos, senior vice president for GMA. "A stronger focus is needed on preventing contaminations and outbreaks, and a risk-based, 'lifecycle approach' to food safety is the key to strengthening the safety of products or ingredients sourced overseas."
But critics said the report contained too few details.
"It's more an outline than a plan, so it's hard to comment on," said Chris Waldrop of the Consumer Federation of America. One thing is certain, he said: Without an increase in FDA funding, the plan cannot be implemented. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said that she was disappointed that an action plan would not be released until November, but "this interim report at the very least, is an acknowledgement that a serious problem exists in our food-safety system, and as such, deserves attention."
She added, "As they say however, the devil is in the details. Vague discussions about building blocks and frameworks on how to increase accountability, enforcement and deterrence is helpful, but I hope the action plan that is forthcoming will contain details about how to ensure the safety of imported products."
At a Sept. 11 press briefing, Mr. Leavitt explained the report's fundamental change in import policing. The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, made up of senior administration officials, forwarded the report to the White House less than two months after it was charged with developing a plan to improve the safety of imports.
"It's a change from an intervention-focused strategy to a risk-based approach focused on prevention with verification. Instead of a point-in-time assessment at the border, we're recommending a focus on the full import life cycle, building safety into the products that we purchase every step of the way," he said.
Some sectors are already doing this, he noted as he recounted his experience at a lettuce-processing plant, one of the 20 stops Mr. Leavitt made during the summer as part of a fact-finding mission to understand import operations.
"As the lettuce [comes] in the door, it's marked in a way that would allow it to be tracked back to the row on which it was picked, the time of day in which it was picked," said Mr. Leavitt. "And talking to the processing manager, he said, our motto is, 'know your grower.' He said, I not only want to know where it was picked and what time it was picked, I want to know the nutrients that were given to that lettuce; I want to know the kind of water that was provided; I want to know about the quality every step of the process, every step along the way.'"
The report said that federal agencies will need to seek new authority to identify and punish bad actors, assure sufficient data accompanies shipments and share data on import transactions from the various government-run automated systems.
"We found that there were data systems that are used by the FDA, where an FDA inspector would need to have five passwords to get into five different parts of the FDA system," said Mr. Leavitt.
But the report is silent about the costs of building a new import-safety program.
"Although additional resources and authorities may be needed, that will be evaluated after the comment period and after we've put together the specifics of the implementation plan," he said.
The working group is holding a public meeting Oct. 1 in Washington, DC, to receive comment on the role the government and industry can take in better protecting Americans from unsafe imports.
When asked about the role of importers in meeting the new vision outlined in the report, Mr. Leavitt replied that importers and domestic suppliers will need to meet U.S. standards.
"Now in many cases that means we have to produce a standard, because there isn't a standard for everything. And second of all, we need to have a means by which we can assure its being met," he said.
"Now in many cases, if we're looking at this large picture from a snapshot to a video, in many cases that may mean that we develop sufficient confidence in the exporting country's certification process, and then we essentially audit their process. They refer to that as certification. That's a legitimate tool," he said.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America praised the new report, saying it incorporated many of the industry's suggestions.
"For instance, the food industry believes that, while inspections are an important component of our nation's food safety net, inspections alone are not the pathway to a safer food supply," said Mary Sophos, senior vice president for GMA. "A stronger focus is needed on preventing contaminations and outbreaks, and a risk-based, 'lifecycle approach' to food safety is the key to strengthening the safety of products or ingredients sourced overseas."
But critics said the report contained too few details.
"It's more an outline than a plan, so it's hard to comment on," said Chris Waldrop of the Consumer Federation of America. One thing is certain, he said: Without an increase in FDA funding, the plan cannot be implemented. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said that she was disappointed that an action plan would not be released until November, but "this interim report at the very least, is an acknowledgement that a serious problem exists in our food-safety system, and as such, deserves attention."
She added, "As they say however, the devil is in the details. Vague discussions about building blocks and frameworks on how to increase accountability, enforcement and deterrence is helpful, but I hope the action plan that is forthcoming will contain details about how to ensure the safety of imported products."
