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USDA Signs MOU to Enhance Safety Of Meat And Poultry Products in The Americas
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Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Steven Cohen
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2004 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Pan American Health Organization to establish ways to improve
the safety of meat and poultry products that are traded among the nations of the Western Hemisphere.
The MOU, which binds the signatories to a set of goals, was signed by USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety
Dr. Elsa Murano and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago.
PAHO is a regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) that works to improve the health and
living standards of the countries of the Americas.
"The Pan American Health Organization and USDA are committed to protecting public health throughout
the Americas through improving food safety internationally, and this MOU marks a solid first step toward
reaching this goal," said Under Secretary Murano. "I look forward to a strong, cooperative
relationship that will bring safe food to people throughout the hemisphere."
The MOU outlines the ways in which PAHO and USDA will cooperate in order to implement joint projects that
strive to enhance the availability, and facilitate the inter-hemispheric trade, of wholesome food for the
people of the PAHO member states.
The MOU goals are:
- Increase the availability and facilitate the trade of safe food, particularly meat, poultry and egg products in the Western Hemisphere;
- Promote greater participation of countries with small-and medium-sized economies in the international standard-setting processes;
- Enhance program coordination to reduce redundancy among programs with common objectives, procedures and communications;
- Promote interaction between scientists and government food safety officials; and
- Facilitate the coordination and sharing of resources between the participants necessary for program management, scientific investigation,
standard-setting and to reach consensus on issues of common concern.
USDA and PAHO currently collaborate on several projects through strategic alliances to increase and
improve food safety, animal health and trade. The MOU is effective immediately and will be in place for the
next three years.
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