| 12/4/2003 FDA: Customs Agents to Help Protect Food Imports - 12/3 Reuters The FDA said a new agreement with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency will expand the FDA's ability to check the safety of food shipments arriving by sea and air. "We are committed to using the bioterrorism law to safeguard our food supply to the fullest extent possible, without imposing any unnecessary costs or restrictions on food imports," said FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan. Under the federal Bioterrorism Act now in effect, the FDA can order the detention of any food or animal feed if there is "credible evidence" that it presents a health threat. By working together, the FDA can use Customs agents to conduct investigations related to the FDA's recently issued rules requiring prior notice of food imports before the shipment arrives. Last month, Republican Sen. Susan Collins urged Congress to pay more attention to protecting the nation's $1.24 trillion food and agriculture sector from sabotage or attacks. She said U.S. agriculture documents have been recovered from al Qaeda caves and safe houses in Afghanistan. Since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the FDA and the U.S. Agriculture Department have increased the number of veterinarians and meat inspectors, introduced stricter import regulations and enhanced laboratory security. Another recent FDA initiative requires the registration of more than 400,000 facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold human or animal food for the U.S. market. The FDA will use Customs' electronic communications systems to reduce the length of prior notice by food importers to 2 to 8 hours, depending on the mode of transportation, the agency said. The FDA also announced on Wednesday that it will finalize by the end of March 2004 rules requiring recordkeeping for food shipments and detention for food shipments that may pose a threat to humans or animals. "In the meantime, we have taken steps to make sure that food that presents a threat will be detained and all available records will be used to track down significant food risks," McClellan said. Related Link: http://www.reuters.com |
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