Import Safety

The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, made up of senior Administration officials, was established by Executive Order on July 18, 2007, to conduct a comprehensive review of current import safety practices and determine where improvements can be made.

The Working Group, chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, will review what is being done to promote import safety at three stages:

In the exporting country
By U.S. importing companies, and
By federal, state, and local governments.

Import Safety Working Group Reports Initial Findings to the President.

The U.S. imports some $2 trillion worth of products from more than 150 countries. This is expected to triple by 2015. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, Working Group Chair, reported that for American consumers to continue to enjoy the highest levels of food and product safety, our import safety strategy needs to shift from the current point-of-entry intervention model to a prevention with verification model that addresses product safety at every step of the producer to consumer import cycle. The Report recommends six building blocks and promises a follow-up action plan.

Full report [pdf-2MB]
Immediate Actions [pdf-75kb]
Agency Statements
Public Comment

Secretary Leavitt talks about the collaborative effort to improve import safeguards. America has the safest food supply in the world, but to keep it - and all products - safe, we must continually improve import vigilance.

Play the video for additional information. (Captioned Video | Transcript of video)