President George Bush detailed safety
plans for stricter government policing of the $2 trillion worth of
imported items that arrive in the United States every year. Amid a
series of high-profile recalls, the Bush administration is calling on
safety seals for imported foods, toys, and other consumer items.
The
plans were developed in the wake of numerous incidences of recalls in
2006 of contaminated fish products, toys with lead paint, toxic
toothpaste, chemically spiked pet food and other defective products.
The
White House proposed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) be given
authority to issue mandatory recalls of unsafe food items.
"Specifically,
the FDA would be empowered to order a recall when a company refuses to
recall their product voluntarily, or moves too slowly in removing the
unsafe product from the market," Bush said.
FDA
commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said, "Will there still be
potential problems, where people who intend to do harm or by other
circumstances something slips through? Yes, that's still going to be a
possibility. That's why we're stressing response."
Nonetheless,
the president said, "This plan addresses both imported and domestically
produced food and will strengthen the FDA's ability to coordinate with
other federal agencies to protect our food supply."
"We
need to do more to ensure that American families have confidence in
what they find on our store shelves. They have the right to expect the
food they eat, the medicines they take or the toys they buy for their
children to be safe," Bush said.(ahn)
Recommend this article...
|
|
|
(0 vote)
