The US Food Import System: Issues, Processes and Proposals was put together by the Food Policy Institute at the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station on the back of increasing volumes of food imports coupled with heavily publicized reports of contaminated foods.

The report hopes to answer questions and concerns raised regarding the safety and control of food imports that were raised following multiple instances of contaminated food imported into the US in 2007.

Opinions on the import safety system are divided, with many calling for change from outdated legislation and limited resources, while others maintain improved science and technology are the reasons for a rise in recalls.

Either way, consumer confidence is dropping, says the report, citing the International Food Information Council's findings that Americans are no longer "very confident" in the food supply.

"While there are is a great deal of interest in food imports and their safety, the information required to understand the relevant issues is not widely dispersed," said Mary Nucci, a research analyst. "This report fills that gap."

Disjointed policy development

The philosophy of the US food safety system is described by the FDA as being "based on strong, flexible and science-based federal and state laws".

However, the report said that, historically, laws governing food import safety were developed primarily in response to food crises instead of from a thoughtful planned approach to food safety.

There are a number of different agencies all involved in analyzing food safety, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Stockyards Administration.

Critics of the system point to "an apparently increasing number of food recalls, the decline in inspections of foods produced both domestically and abroad, and the lack of resources devoted to keeping up with explosive growth of food imports as evidence of a food safety system that is badly in need of reform".

Indeed, only in December, a year-long review entitled the Report of the Subcommittee on Science and Technology said the FDA failed to support new technologies or to ensure food safety as a result of being under-funded and under-resourced.

And earlier this month, Andrew von Eschenbach, commissioner of food and drugs at the FDA said the body needs to move with the times and adapt to changing safety concerns and technological advances in both industries.

However, the report also says advocates of the system say "an increasing number of recalls is largely due to a system that has improved through the use of better science, technology and information sharing".

Need for change

An effective food safety system is becoming evermore important as food imports increase. Imported food currently makes up between 10 and 13 percent of the American diet, and was valued at $70.5m in 2007. This is estimated to rise to $75bn in 2008.

This translates to over nine million entries per year, passing through one of more than 300 entry points.

The report said that until recently, issues regarding the safety of imported foods had little permanent effect on the imported foods market.

However, following several publicized food recalls during 2007, followed by the recent recall of meat - the largest one ever - has raised Americans' awareness of safety issues, according to the report.

Therefore, there have been various recommendations for change. These include the creation of a unified regulatory process, a Four Pillars of Food Safety approach proposed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association of Food, Beverage and Consumer Product Companies, and an integrated strategy to provide protection by a three-pronged approach which includes the prevention of food contamination by focusing on risks throughout the product life cycle.

The report concludes: "Ultimately it is the pressure of consumer confidence (or lack of confidence) in the safety of the food that is likely to drive any reforms in the current system. The question is whether such reforms will be as the result of a rational reconsideration and reorganization of the entire food safety system, or as the consequence of a more incremental approach to improving the existing system."

The report is available at http://www.foodpolicyinstitute.org/ .