U.S. wants China to improve food and feed safety

U.S. wants China to improve food and feed safety During cabinet-level meetings this week in Washington, White House officials asked Chinese representatives to take “rapid action” to correct problems with food and feed safety in China.
   Actions requested by the Bush administration include:
   * Detailed information about the Chinese government’s procedures, methodology and technology for testing and determining quarantines.
   * Raw data and results from tests of regulated products.
   * Mandatory registration and publication of Chinese firms intending to export food and feed products to the United States.
   * Authorization of travel clearances for U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials to make periodic verification checks in China.
   These actions do not relate to meat, poultry and egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The department has legal authority to establish protocols for reviewing meat, poultry and egg systems. The USDA conducts inspections, verification and performs certification in other countries before firms can export these products to the United States.
   Although China is not exporting meat, poultry or eggs to the United States, the USDA has several established agreements with Chinese ministries in the area of food safety.