FDA vows to improve import safety

Agency says inspections fail to keep up with rising demand for imported foods

By Scott Hume, Executive Managing Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 4/15/2004

WThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is coming clean about its policing of imported food's safety. FDA Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford last month told a House subcommittee that only about 1% of food coming into the United States is inspected.

"It's difficult for us," Crawford said of the agency's need to oversee all food imports—except for meat, poultry and eggs, which are the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) responsibility. "But we pledge to do better."

The admission comes in the wake of the foodborne-illness crisis at a Chi-Chi's restaurant in Monaca, Pa., that killed three. The culprit was hepatitis A carried on green onions from Mexico.

Food imports, especially produce, are increasing so rapidly that the FDA has been overmatched and undermanned. As a result, operators need to increase their vigilance about produce that enters their businesses. Thorough cleaning, even for bagged produce, is advised.

The value of vegetable imports jumped from $2.7 billion in 1994 to $6.2 billion last year, according to the USDA. The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 authorized the hiring of 600 additional FDA inspectors, which Crawford says is helping, but the volume of imports continues to rise.

Foodservice shares some responsibility for the import increases. Greater popularity of salads contributes to year-round demand for produce. And a February 2004 USDA report notes that "with domestic suppliers unable to fully satisfy Americans' demands for more diverse food and beverage choices, consumers are increasingly turning to imported goods."