GAO: Import food safety enforcement ?gaps? linger

GAO: Import food safety enforcement ôgapsö linger    A congressional watchdog agency said while the three primary federal agencies in charge of food import safety have made improvements in information systems and data analysis, 'gaps in enforcement and collaboration undermine these efforts.'
   The United States imports food from more than 150 countries. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, imported foods comprise 15 percent of the U.S. food supply, including 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables and 80 percent of seafood.
   In charge of food import safety are Customs and Border Protection, Food and Drug Administration and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
   A Government Accountability Office report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said CBP's system does not notify FDA or FSIS when imported food shipments arrive at U.S. ports. 'This lack of communication may potentially increase the risk that unsafe food could enter U.S. commerce without FDA review, particularly at truck ports,' the watchdog agency said.
   GAO cited other problems with the federal food import safety system, including:
   ' FDA's limited authority to ensure importer compliance with its regulations.
   ' CBP's and FDA's failure to identify importers with a unique number, hindering the FDA's ability to target food shipments originating from high risk importers.
   ' CBP's challenges in managing in-bond shipments.
   FDA is developing its Predictive Risk-Based Evaluation for Dynamic Import Compliance Targeting (PREDICT) computer system to allow it to improve identification of products considered to be high risk while allowing a greater percentage of products it considers low risk to enter U.S. commerce without a manual review. The agency plans to deploy PREDICT to all ports and for all FDA-regulated products in September.
   GAO recommended FDA seek authority from Congress to assess civil penalties on firms and persons who violate FDA laws, and the FDA commissioner find ways to improve the agency's ability to identify foreign firms with a unique identifier.