FDA looks abroad to increase food safety
Workers cut Matsutake mushrooms in a Matsutake factory in Shangri-La in China's southern province of Yunnan in 2006. Reuters photo by Nir Elias.
NEWS & FEATURES
ISSUE XLXIII |
WEDNESDAY |
April 02, 2008 |
Last updated at 1 p.m. Wednesday |
April 02, 2008
byARIEL OLSON SUROWIDJOJO
Poisoned toothpaste, toxic fish and contaminated pet food are just some of the products that raised food safety concerns in the United States last year. All of the items, or certain ingredients, were imported from China—a nation that has commanded the attention of food regulatory commissions worldwide, as it struggles to sufficiently monitor its rapidly growing exports. In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to establish several permanent offices in the People’s Republic by 2009, pending China’s authorization.
FDA press officer Stephanie Kwisnek said the foreign posts are just one step in the process of addressing concerns for the safety of U.S. imported foods. She also indicated that the agency plans to increase its overall presence abroad by “build[ing] capacity at foreign sites in at least five regions, beginning with China.”
“The permanent overseas offices in China will also allow greater access for inspections and greater interactions with manufacturers to help assure that FDA-regulated products—food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics—that are shipped to the United States meet U.S. standards for safety [and] manufacturing quality,” Kwisnek said by e-mail.
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