U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America
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U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |
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Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, Sept.. 4, 2001 |
Contact: | FDA Press Office (202) 205-4144 Beth Gaston, USDA (202) 720-9113 |
"This agreement marks a very important new era in the food safety efforts of both our countries," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "It recognizes the strong bond between Mexico and the United States - a bond that is reflected in the enormous increase in the trade of food commodities across our borders."
Under the terms of the arrangement, the HHS' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Mexico's Secretar�a de Agricultura, Ganader�a, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentaci�n (SAGARPA) and Secretar�a de Salud (SSA) will enhance their existing food safety partnership through expanding programs, sharing information and coordinating specific activities.
FDA, SSA and SAGARPA will cooperate to share information on the sources of fresh produce and to investigate into the causes of any contamination of these products. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and Foreign Agriculture Service and SAGARPA will take steps to ensure the safety of meat, poultry and egg products in both countries. These efforts are expected to ensure that borders remain open and that safe products continue to flow freely between the countries. The agencies will also collaborate on other specific projects to achieve common understanding on issues of mutual concern.
"With the amount of trade between our countries, cooperation on food safety is vital," USDA's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs William T. Hawks said. "Working together on harmonized regulations, inspection standards and information exchanges will improve the food safety for citizens in both our countries."
Secretary Thompson and Under Secretary Hawks both signed the arrangement, along with Dr. Julio Frenk, Mexico's Secretary of Health, and Javier Trujillo, Director in Chief of Mexico's National Service for Protection, Food Safety and Quality of Agricultural Products in Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture.
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