Chinese Officials Plan Food Recall Rules
Spurred by international criticism over the safety of its food—including pet food tainted with the banned chemical melamine—the China State Food and Drug Administration in June said it would propose a set of draft rules and procedures requiring companies to track and recall food products that pose health risks.
The new rules will apply to both foreign and domestic companies. Violators will be blacklisted.
The agency also warned companies not to import products into China that do not have the required export approval.
Meanwhile, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for the creation of a federal import czar, blaming problems with the safety and quality of Chinese imports on lax inspections and a bureaucratic quagmire. Therefore, he said, the United States must conduct thorough inspections at its borders to make up for weak foreign regulations.
The proposed import czar, who would oversee inspections and all other aspects of import consumer safety, would be part of the Commerce Department. Currently the policing of imports and recalls is spread among many agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission. [September 2007 PET AGE]
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