August 06, 2007

Bill Aims To Strengthen FDA Monitoring Of Imported Food

House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., has laid down his marker for a food safety overhaul at FDA that takes aim at imported food. Released Friday, the proposal would give FDA mandatory recall authority, require country-of-origin labeling on food, establish a certification program for importers, limit ports where imported food can enter and allow the agency to collect user fees to pay for increased import inspections.

"We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than one percent of it," Dingell said. "Tainted imports have slipped into our country undetected and the resulting problems will continue to grow if we don't take steps to tighten safety measures."

IDingell is floating the bill as his committee's investigators leave later this month for a trip to China and India to learn more about the countries' regulations governing food and medicine.

Regulators have experienced a host of food safety problems with Chinese imports, and members want to ensure those imports comply with U.S. food safety laws.

"The FDA has jurisdiction of 80 percent of the food coming in this country, and only inspects one percent.... So, if we say to China or [another country] we expect it to be that standard, once it hits this country, we should have the resources then to make sure we can test it, to make sure it does meet that standard, and that's why really believe we should limit the number of ports where food can flow into this country," said Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak, D-Mich.

FDA staff are present at 90 ports in the United States, though food regulated by FDA can pass through 320 ports. FDA spokeswoman Catherine McDermott pointed out all imported food is scanned electronically. USDA limits imported meat and poultry to 39 ports and border crossings where 140 import inspection warehouses are concentrated, said a spokesman for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. USDA employs 74 inspectors that move between the inspection warehouses as needed.

The draft bill limits imported food to ports near where FDA operates 13 field laboratories or to ports the government determines do not pose a high risk. The proposal also suspends FDA's plan to close seven of the laboratories until GAO studies the matter, and the bill gives Congress the option to disapprove the lab closures as well as a plan to consolidate 20 district offices around the country. Spending bills approved by the House and under consideration in the Senate contain variations of language halting the lab closures.

The section directing FDA to collect user fees to inspect imported food and drugs is likely to draw fire. While consumer groups have called for many of the safety restrictions in the bill, they are wary of user fees that give the appearance industry is paying FDA salaries.

"I appreciate the situation Congress is in, but I'm opposed because it could lead to conflicts for an inspector," Food and Water Watch lobbyist Tony Corbo said. Corbo lobbied lawmakers to increase penalties in lieu of collecting user fees. The food safety proposal raises fines from $250,000 to $1 million, in addition to instituting import user fees.

-Anna Edney, CongressDaily

Posted at 5:26 PM
Posted to: Congress, FDA, Health, House
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