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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues [March 17, 2010]
This report discusses the congressional reforms on food import regulations in 2009. "The issue of import safety was the focus of numerous congressional hearings and bills in the 110th Congress, and remains high on the policy agenda of the 111th Congress. Attention is now focused on two pending food safety bills, which seek to address the safety primarily of foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The food inspection activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is responsible for meat and poultry safety, have not been targeted for changes by these bills. Both bills--H.R. 2749 by Representative Dingell, and S. 510 by Senator Durbin--seek tighter controls over imports, and both would require that imports be subject to certification systems whereby accredited third parties (such as foreign governments or others) might be tasked with assuring that imported food products meet U.S. food safety requirements. The bills variously would provide expedited entry for imports that meet additional standards; require preventive safety plans and more inspections, based on risk, of foreign as well as domestic facilities; and/or ban imports from foreign countries and facilities that refuse requests for U.S.-sponsored safety inspection, among other provisions. The House cleared H.R. 2749 on July 30, 2009, after it had been amended and passed by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on June 10, 2009, and by the full committee on June 17, 2009. On the Senate side, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions reported an amended version of S. 510 on December 18, 2009."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Becker, Geoffrey S.
2010-03-17
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues [Updated December 4, 2008]
"U.S. officials continue to assert that the U.S. food supply, including the portion provided through imports, is among the safest in the world. One challenge has been how to keep it safe in the face of steadily rising imports, a result of globalization and consumer desire for a wider variety of foods year-round. The issue of import safety was the focus of numerous congressional hearings and bills in the 110th Congress, and is expected to be high on the policy agenda of the 111th Congress. Does the U.S. safety system, first created at a time when most Americans obtained their foods domestically, adequately protect public health? What, if any, changes should be made to enhance the safety of food imports? Critics argue that major reforms are necessary because the present programs are both poorly designed and inadequately funded to meet today's challenges. An opposing argument is that imported foods already are subject to the same safety standards as-- and pose no greater hazards than--domestically produced foods. An early argument of the Bush Administration was that smarter allocation of existing resources, and the food industry's own controls, could and should be capable of addressing any problems. [...]The Bush Administration in November 2007 also had issued new policy recommendations on food safety and on import safety. Although these recommendations received some attention in the 110th Congress, by the second session many stakeholders were focusing on draft bills circulated by the chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The proposals differed in detail, but both sought broad reforms in FDA's oversight of food and drug safety, including of imports."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Becker, Geoffrey S.
2008-12-04
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues [Updated June 12, 2008]
This Congressional Research Service (CRS) report is an update to a report of the same name that discusses the U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues. ""U.S. officials continue to assert that the U.S. food supply, including the portion provided through imports, is among the safest in the world. One challenge has been how to keep it safe in the face of rapidly rising imports, a result of globalization and consumer desire for a wider variety of foods year-round. The issue of import safety has been the focus of numerous congressional hearings in the 110th Congress, where a variety of bills have been offered on the subject. Recent focus in Congress has been on draft bills circulated by the chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Both seek broad reforms in FDA's oversight of food and drug safety, including of imports, although they differ in detail. Formal introduction and committee markups are possible. Numerous other food safety bills are pending that address some aspect of food import safety. Several are primarily import-oriented, such as H.R. 2997, S. 1776, H.R. 1148/S. 654, H.R. 2108/S. 1274, H.R. 3610, H.R. 3624, H.R. 3937, H.R. 3967, and S. 2418. Many, for example, propose that importing establishments, and/or the foreign countries in which they are located, first receive formal U.S. certification that their food safety systems provide at least the same level of safety assurances as the U.S. system. A number also propose the collection of user fees from importers to cover the costs of inspecting foreign products at the borders. Some bills seek to require more physical inspections and testing by FDA at the border or within other countries, to authorize more research into inspection and testing technologies, or to restrict imports to specific ports."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Becker, Geoffrey S.
2008-06-12
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues [Updated November 8, 2007]
"U.S. officials continue to assert that the U.S. food supply, including the portion provided through imports, is among the safest in the world. One challenge has been how to keep it safe in the face of rapidly rising imports, a result of globalization and consumer desire for a wider variety of nutritious and inexpensive foods year-round. Two federal agencies -- USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- are responsible for the majority of the total funding and staffing of the government's food regulatory system. For imports, FSIS relies on a very different regulatory system than FDA, including a differing approach to addressing equivalence, as described in this report."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Becker, Geoffrey S.
2007-11-08
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U.S. Food and Agricultural Imports: Safeguards and Selected Issues [October 3, 2007]
"U.S. officials continue to assert that the U.S. food supply, including the portion provided through imports, is among the safest in the world. One challenge has been how to keep it safe in the face of rapidly rising imports, a result of globalization and consumer desire for a wider variety of nutritious and inexpensive foods year-round. Two federal agencies -- USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are responsible for the majority of the total funding and staffing of the government's food regulatory system. For imports, FSIS relies on a very different regulatory system than FDA, including a differing approach to addressing equivalence, as described in this report. Do U.S. safeguards, generally created at a time when most Americans obtained their foods domestically, remain sufficient to protect public health? What, if any, changes should be made to enhance the safety of food imports? Critics argue that major reforms are necessary because the present programs are both poorly designed and inadequately funded to meet today's challenges. Those who oppose major changes assert that imported foods already are subject to the same safety standards as and pose no greater hazards than domestically produced foods. They also contend that smarter allocation of existing resources and the food industry's own controls, can and should be capable of addressing any problems that arise... Some bills seek to require more physical inspections and testing by FDA at the border or within other countries, to authorize more research into inspection and testing technologies, or to restrict imports to specific ports. H.R. 3100 is another measure with import safety provisions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Becker, Geoffrey S.
2007-10-03
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