U.S.:FDA, CUSTOMS TO HOLD MEETING ON SAFETY OF IMPORTED FOODS

U.S.:FDA, CUSTOMS TO HOLD MEETING ON SAFETY OF IMPORTED FOODS       The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Customs will unveil newly proposed procedures for importing foods safely into the United States, at two public meetings planned next month.
      The agencies are responding to President Clinton’s announcement last July, calling for increased safety procedures for imported foods. The President directed FDA and Customs to “target unscrupulous importers who violate the rules and work to subvert the system by moving unsafe foods into U.S. markets.”
      The public meetings will review six objectives of the President’s directive. They are to prevent distribution of unsafe food imports by holding food imports until reviewed by the FDA; destroy imported food that poses a threat to public health; prohibit reimportation and document food that’s considered unsafe; set standards for use of private laboratories that analyze imported food samples; increase bond amounts for imported foods; and increase enforcement against violators.
      The meetings are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 10 at the Los Angeles District Office and Feb. 17 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington.
      The agency’s comprehensive imported food safety plan may be obtained on the Internet at https://www.foodsafety.gov .