CLINTON FOOD-SAFETY STAND CALLED EXCESSIVE

WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Food-industry groups here are lining up to deride the Clinton administration's continued efforts to lobby for greater authority over the importation of fresh produce.

associations responded by saying such efforts are not needed.

"We're always skeptical when we hear the whole system is flawed," said Karen Brown, senior vice president of the Food Marketing Institute here. "It implies that nothing is working now. Obviously, the system must be working because we have the safest food supply in the world, and part of that supply comes from other countries."

The United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, Alexandria, Va., called the Safety of Imported Food bill, introduced by Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., "a solution looking for a problem."

"The agency has ample existing authority to halt imports of food when the agency believes a product is adulterated or otherwise unsafe," said John Aguirre, UFFVA vice president of government affairs.

The Kennedy-Mikulski bill is a Senate version of a House bill introduced last fall by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.

Edith Garrett, president of the International Fresh-Cut Produce Association, Arlington, Va., said the government should be wary about how it might initiate inspections abroad. "From a trade standpoint, that might be a wrong move," she said.

Under current law, the Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md., can deny entry to fresh or canned produce if it appears to be in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The proposed legislation would allow the FDA to have broad authority to ban imports from an entire country it deems to have unsafe handling, sanitation, storage, processing or shipping practices.

The FDA now inspects about 2% of the fresh produce and canned goods when they arrive in U.S. ports. Shipments of imported foods, which have doubled since 1991, now comprise about 38% of the fruit and 12% of the vegetables consumed in the United States.

President Clinton, in the wake of several high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illness, has made strengthening all aspects of the food-safety system a priority during the last several years. He recently included in his proposed 1999 federal budget a $25 million appropriation to hire 250 more employees to inspect domestic and foreign food suppliers and undertake an interagency food-safety initiative.

The initiative will involve developing voluntary standards for raising and processing produce, both foreign and domestic. The administration also plans an education program to improve standards among domestic and foreign suppliers.

Clinton emphasized the global nature of the U.S. food supply to support the need for legislation aimed at strengthening the FDA's authority.

"It wasn't long ago that you could walk to the produce section of a grocery store, look around, and find no more than a dozen items that would be there all year round," he said. "Today, thanks to this global food market, it's not uncommon to find up to 400 varieties, most all of them year-round.

"We are getting all the benefits of global agriculture. We have to rise to the challenges of the same trends. By giving the FDA the tools and the technology it needs, the legislation will give Americans the extra protection they deserve," Clinton said.

The proposal to strengthen FDA authority drew support from food-safety watchdogs. "FDA's hands are tied when it comes to protecting consumers from unsafe imported foods," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington. "Better inspections, both at the border and in foreign countries, are urgently needed to restore consumers' faith in the safety of imported foods."