FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
This hearing will focus on the mechanisms and legal authorities under current law for ensuring the safety of food and consumer products imported into the United States. The hearing will examine how these mechanisms and authorities are functioning, what problems may exist with respect to each mechanism or authority, and what improvements are needed. The hearing will look into the role of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and CBP’s coordination with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at the ports of entry. In addition, the hearing will address the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in the United States and overseas and the consistency of those measures with the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.