Lawmaker Releases Bill To Improve Safety of Imported Food

News Date August 10, 2007

       Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released draft legislation on August 3 that would strengthen the country's system for ensuring the safety of imported food and drugs. The committee is conducting a broad investigation into the safety of the nation's food and drug supply, particularly the ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct inspections and perform laboratory analysis.

       Dingell said that recent reports of tainted imports, including pet food, seafood, and cough syrup, have highlighted the need for legislative action. "We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than one percent of it," he said. Dingell's legislative proposal would create a user fee on imported food and drug shipments. Funds generated by the fee would be used to hire additional personnel at both the U.S. border and FDA labs to increase inspections. Funds would also be used to test import samples and research new testing techniques.

       The legislation would also prevent the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from closing or consolidating any of the current thirteen FDA field laboratories and grant the agency new authorities to: (1) issue mandatory recalls; (2) require country of origin labeling; (3) limit the number of ports of entry for food items; (4) halt imports of certain products until a foreign facility can demonstrate that significant steps have been taken to rectify an identified problem; and (5) increase civil monetary penalties for manufacturers or importers that violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)