June 20, 2008
US, China report enhanced food and feed safety procedures
US and China recently outlined the progress in implementing the 2007 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on food and feed safety.
US secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mile Leavitt and the Chinese Minister of the General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) signed yesterday (June 18, 2008) the Joint Progress Statement.
The MOA, signed in December 2007, established a bilateral mechanism to provide greater information to enhance the safety of food and feed products traded between the two countries.
Among the recent developments was for the AQSIQ to electronically certify to the USDA which products meet US standards.
China will send officials for training on US regulatory requirements and standards.
The establishment of a notification mechanism for risks to public health has also advanced.
Furthermore, the US and Chinese government continue to work on implementing a second Memorandum to enhance the safety of medical products.