Food Safety and Quality. FDA Can Improve Monitoring of Imported Cheese.
Abstract
Since 1985 the United States has annually imported an average of 290 million pounds of cheese valued at about $390 million. The largest exporters of cheese to the United States are Italy, France, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, and the Netherlands. These countries produce about 60 percent of the cheese imported into the United States. Under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA is responsible for ensuring that imported FDA-regulated food products, including cheese, meet the same safety and labeling standards as domestically produced food products. These standards require that imported foods be pure, wholesome, and accurately labeled. However, while FDA can inspect domestic food manufacturing or processing facilities, it does not have authority over, and therefore does not inspect, foreign food facIlities. To ensure that imported foods meet domestic food standards, FDA relies primarily on testing and inspecting imported food products when they are offered for entry into the United States. FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is responsible for providing guidance to district offices and monitoring imported food products. FDA's district offices are responsible for conducting import inspections at various points of entry across the country. About 75 percent of all imported cheese shipments enter the United States through FDA's New York district.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA300534
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office