|
The Challenge of
Monitoring and Controlling Food Imports
By
Frances Allday
The news lately has been full of stories about
contaminated tomatoes causing an outbreak of salmonella poisoning around
the country. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency working to
find the source of the contamination, recently focused its investigation
on farms in Mexico and Florida along with other points on the supply chain
where the tomatoes may have become contaminated. As of this date the FDA
has not found the source of the contamination.
What the outbreak shows is the complexity of tracking
foods to the point of origin. Much of the food in the U.S. is grown
domestically, but a large portion is imported. Food products imported into
the U.S. are subject to regulations and quotas to safeguard both the
consumers and domestic industry.
Most imported food is subject to the Bioterrorism Act
which was implemented in 2003 to protect the food supply from
contamination by terrorists. It requires that importers give prior notice
to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and FDA for all food products that
will be imported into the U.S. This is submitted via the FDA's internet
based system. The notice must contain information as to the manufacturer,
shipper and grower of the food product, as well as the country of origin
and the country from which the product is shipped. Data such as the date
and port of arrival and shipping documentation must also be included. This
information enables the Customs and FDA officers to screen and target
inspections of imported food products to more efficiently protect the
nation's food supply. Shipments of food imports that do not give prior
notice will be held at the port of arrival or exported, but will not be
allowed to enter the U.S.
Imported food quotas are another way the government
controls and regulates various foods coming into the U.S. market. A quota
is a limitation or restriction on the amount of certain goods that may be
imported into the U.S. from all countries, or from specific countries for
a prescribed period of time. The quotas are established by legislation and
Presidential proclamations, usually to protect domestic industries from
foreign competition and surpluses on the domestic market.
Sugar and beef are two products that are subject to
quota. Government controls on sugar importations date back to 1789 when
the First Congress imposed a tariff on foreign sugar. The Sugar Act of
1934 set allotments each year for the quantity of sugar needed to supply
the nations needs at prices fair to consumers and producers. The Act
expired in 1974, but Congress has continued to impose a quota on raw
sugar. When the allowed quantity of sugar imports is met, sugar can still
be imported but with a higher tariff. Beef is also subject to quotas with
most of it coming from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Many other
foods have quotas or trade agreements establishing tariff preference
levels.
Domestic consumption of imported food has been on the
rise the last ten years. Imports of fish and shellfish, fresh fruits and
vegetables, fruit juices, tree nuts, and salad and cooking oils now
account for large shares of the domestic market. Many agricultural imports
are products the U.S. does not produce in large quantities, such as
bananas or coffee.
Much of the horticultural products which include fruits,
vegetables, nuts, wine, malt beverages, and nursery products come from
Canada and Mexico. NAFTA is responsible in part for the high volume of
trade between the U.S. and these countries.
The agency tasked with inspecting agricultural food
products is the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the
Department of Agriculture (USDA). As fruit, vegetable, and plant imports
arrive, APHIS inspectors examine them for evidence of disease or pests
which could damage U.S. agriculture. USDA says that port of entry
inspection is one of several measures it is taking in a risk-based process
for approving importations. In some cases a certificate verifying that the
plant or food products originated from a pest-free area can be accepted
for approving an import. USDA is also responsible for inspecting meat and
poultry products, and has invoked trade restrictions on imports from
countries that have had outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu.
The USDA is primarily concerned with ensuring that the
imported fruits and vegetables are free of pest and disease for
agriculture purposes. The FDA is responsible for ensuring that food
products meet health and safety standards. All imported foods must meet
the same standards as food produced domestically. Food must be pure,
wholesome, safe to eat, and produced under sanitary conditions.
Imported foods are subject to examination by FDA
inspectors. If the inspectors find food that is adulterated, spoiled, pest
infested or falsely labeled, it will be detained and refused admittance
into the U.S.
Most of the regulations concerning food imports have
been established over the years in response to concerns about safety and
the demands of domestic industry to restrict foreign competition.
Government agencies face very complex and labor intensive processes to
implement these regulations, often with limited resources.
The fact that contaminated food like tomatoes may have
bypassed the safety net and ended up on consumers tables indicates the
immense effort it takes to monitor and control the increasing volume of
imported food.
Frances Allday was a specialist in commercial trade
with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for 25 years
|
