GAO REPORT ON FOOD SAFETY SEPTEMBER 2009

The following excerpt from the recent report is horrifying. We are assured by the FDA that they can assure alomost NO SAFTEY in the food imports in our grocery stores. Feeling confident about those labels on food from other nations? So, what do they ACTUALLY inspect? Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, huh? Isn't that LEGAL stuff?
-Clean Food Earth Woman, enraged!

What GAO (GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE) Found:

(EXCERPT:) CBP, FDA, and FSIS have taken steps to address challenges in ensuring the safety of the increasing volume of imported food. For example, CBP maintains the system that importers use to provide information to FDA on food shipments; FDA electronically reviews food imports and inspects some foreign food production facilities to prevent violative food from reaching U.S. shores; and FSIS employs an equivalency system that requires countries to demonstrate that their food safety systems provide the same level of protection as the U.S. system. However, gaps in enforcement and collaboration undermine these efforts. First, CBP’s computer system does not currently notify FDA or FSIS when imported food shipments arrive at U.S. ports, although efforts are underway to provide this information to FDA for air and truck shipments. This lack of communication may potentially increase the risk that unsafe food could enter U.S. commerce without FDA review, particularly at truck ports. Second, FDA has limited authority to ensure importers’ compliance with its regulations. Third, CBP and FDA do not identify importers with a unique number; as a result, FDA cannot always target food shipments originating from high risk importers. Finally, CBP faces challenges in managing in-bond shipments—those that move within the United States without formally entering U.S. commerce—and such shipments possibly could be diverted into commerce.
FDA generally collaborates with select states and foreign governments on imported food safety. FDA has entered into a contract, several cooperative agreements, and informal partnerships for imported food with certain states, and some state officials told GAO that they would like to collaborate further with FDA on food imports. However, citing legal restrictions, FDA does not fully share certain information, such as product distribution lists, with states during a recall. This impedes states’ efforts to quickly remove contaminated products from grocery stores and warehouses.
Full PDF Downloadable text:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09873.pdf