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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, November 10, 2007

Bush plan on product safety a start

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This year's wave of recalls — from dog food to toothpaste to toys — has rightly left many consumers wary about the origin of things they buy. Last year, the U.S. imported nearly $2 trillion worth of goods through more than 825,000 importers.

The concern over where products come from is understandable. Many countries do not adhere to the same regulations U.S. manufacturers must meet. When a large percentage of imports are uninspected once they reach the U.S., the results can be disastrous.

For this reason, President Bush's import safety proposal announced this week is a step in the right direction.

Under the plan, the Food and Drug Administration would be given the authority to order mandatory recalls of unsafe food products. In addition, the proposal would increase the number of inspectors from Customs, Border Patrol, Consumer Product Safety Commission and other agencies in countries that are major exporters to the U.S.

The comprehensive proposal would also make it illegal for companies to knowingly sell recalled products.

Clearly, there are gaps in our import safety net that need to be filled to keep U.S. consumers safe. The proposal is a sensible approach that would bring much-needed oversight to the system. For it to work, federal funding will be needed to ensure that the FDA and CPSC will have sufficient resources to carry out these stricter mandates.

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