U.S. tours food, import sites in safety drive

[babylonsister]

U.S. tours food, import sites in safety drive
Mon Aug 6, 2007 5:13PM EDT


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Bush administration officials are visiting food plants and import facilities this week as they to prepare a plan for battling an unsettling wave of tainted imports, officials said on Monday.

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt and Food and Drug Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach toured a Maryland seafood firm, which relies heavily on imports, on Monday.

Throughout the week, officials will inspect other facilities around the country, including a busy bridge at the U.S.-Canadian border in New York state, the department said.

The information gathered will go toward a high-level report next month designed to bolster oversight of food and other products making their way across U.S. borders.

The Bush administration is taking heat for recent discoveries of dangerous imports -- toothpaste and seafood tainted with chemicals, lead-laced toys, toxic pet food -- from China and other countries.

The cases prompted Bush to create a new commission in July, headed by Leavitt but including the departments of State, Agriculture, and Commerce, which is due to make recommendations for improving import vigilance by September 17.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0638883120070806