FDA Endorses Strategic Framework Document on Food Import Safety

Michael O. Leavitt, secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today delivered a strategic framework on import safety to President Bush. The framework was developed by the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, established by the President July 18 to examine our nation’s system for assuring that all of our imported products are safe.

"I strongly endorse the release of the Strategic Framework developed by the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety and commend Secretary Leavitt for leading this comprehensive effort,” said Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, commissioner, FDA. “Recent recalls of imported products have caused Americans to question the safety of imports. Americans rightly expect to purchase food and medical products without having to worry about their safety; and assuring the safety of these products is a core part of our mission at the FDA.”

The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, made up of senior Administration officials, was established by executive order on July 18, 2007, to conduct a comprehensive review of current import safety practices and determine where improvements can be made.

“The three organizing principles that form the keystones of the Strategic Framework—Prevention, Intervention and Response—are ones we embrace strongly here at FDA and are principles we know will guide us towards better and smarter import safety strategies,” says von Eschenbach. “We know that in the 21st century's global economy, our efforts to assure product safety for Americans cannot just begin at our borders, they must begin at the time the products are produced in other countries. I am excited about the fact that these principles have been embraced by the Framework, and I look forward to working with the Group on the Action Plan to be released in November. Together, we will further integrate and enhance our processes relating to the safety of imports."