Collaboration for a Global Product Safety Net, from FDA Voice

By: Mary Lou Valdez
 
If it takes a village to raise a child, in today’s economy it takes the support and commitment of a global community to ensure the safety of the food we eat and the medications we rely on.
This point was made clear in an Institute of Medicine report released on April 4. The report was commissioned by the FDA as the agency addresses the challenges of global supply chains, international trade, and foreign sourcing of foods, feeds, and medical products. It complements the FDA Commissioner’s Report on Global Pathway to Product Safety and Quality released last summer.
Imports of food and drug products regulated by FDA have increased by more than 13 percent per year since 2002, resulting in a threefold increase of products produced outside of the United States. Almost 40 percent of the fruits and nuts and 85 percent of the seafood consumed in America comes from abroad. Similarly, more than 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make medicines are imported. To ensure that the vast array of products Americans depend on are safe, FDA focus can no longer be solely domestic – it must be global.
Since many of the products imported are from emerging and developing countries, the FDA asked the IOM to take a look at the regulatory systems in those countries to identify major gaps and to design a strategy for how the FDA, along with other regulators and stakeholders, can help to strengthen their regulatory systems and build capacity.

http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2012/04/collaboration-for-a-global-product-safety-net/

Mary Lou Valdez is FDA’s Associate Commissioner for International Programs and Director, Office of International Programs