Support Senator Schumer!

Posted on July 11, 2007
by Maureen Keene

There are a few people in Washington who want to take action now to stem the tide of deadly products and make us safer. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is one of them.

What follows is an excerpt of Sen. Schumer’s press release from July 1, 2007. (Read the full text here.) Please tell your representatives in Congress that you support Sen. Schumer’s proposed measures with regard to imports from China.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2007

Schumer Reveals: Chinese Product Dangers Go Far Beyond Tires, Seafood And Toothpaste - Both China And U.S. Not Inspecting Imports Nearly Enough, Leaving NY Consumers At Risk

In the wake of new revelations that tainted seafood and dangerously defective tires were shipped from China and sold throughout New York City and the United States, today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed that over 100 New York bound shipments of Chinese goods had to be blocked after reaching the Port of New York due to safety and contamination concerns this year alone. Schumer said that a maze of federal regulations and lax safety measures in many Chinese plants have left New York consumers in danger of buying unsafe products. Schumer said that weekly recalls of Chinese goods that had already been sold throughout New York and the country show that the system designed to keep dangerous products off store shelves is failing.

“This week’s revelations are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to contaminated and dangerous Chinese goods coming in to the U.S.,” Schumer said. “There is no question that too many Chinese manufacturers and food producers put the bottom line ahead of safety. The FDA and other agencies regulating the safety of imported goods need to do much more to address this worsening crisis. We need stricter standards, more thorough inspections, and harsher penalties for Chinese companies and American shippers that turn a blind eye to safety.”

“The fact that every week we have to frantically pull Chinese goods off store shelves shows that our safeguards are failing,” Schumer added.

Schumer today said that, not only are the Chinese government, manufacturers, and food producers turning a blind eye to safety, the federal government has not done nearly enough to keep dangerous Chinese products out of New York stores. In fact, there are more than a half dozen federal agencies responsible for monitoring, testing, and blocking dangerous or tainted shipments to the U.S. including the FDA, NHTSA, CPSC, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the United States Trade Representative.

Schumer today said that this maze of federal oversight prevents the government from effectively stopping dangerous goods from getting through to American consumers. This maze includes cabinet level departments, independent agencies, and administrations within executive agencies, all operating with different regulations, rules, and protocols. To protect New York consumers from any more dangerous products from getting through, Schumer today announce a new five-point plan to beef up federal safety protections:

Creation of an Import Czar – To get control of the wide-open U.S. monitoring systems, Schumer today called for the creation of an “Import Czar” that would focus on the rising tide of Chinese goods coming in to the U.S. The new Czar would be installed as part of the Department of Commerce and oversee all matters pertaining to consumer protection of imports including coordinating efforts of the other agencies charged with consumer safety related to imports. This Czar would issue a first ever public report on existing gaps in federal safeguards on imported products and the agencies will then have to report back within six months on their progress closing the identified gaps. The Czar would also actively monitor the day to day functions of all of agencies responsible for assuring consumers’ safety in regards to imported goods.

New Labeling Standards – Schumer today wrote to the head of the FDA asking him to immediately implement new rules requiring all food, vitamin, and cosmetic companies to list out the origin of all ingredients that come from outside the United States. Four years ago, Congress passed a law requiring food to be labeled for its country-of-origin. But that doesn’t extend to individual food ingredients. China has become the leading supplier of many food ingredients, such as apple juice; garlic and garlic powder; sausage casings and cocoa butter. China now supplies 80 percent of the world’s vitamin C.

Overhaul FDA Foreign Food Inspections – Right now, the FDA announces 90% of its inspections on foreign manufacturing facilities weeks in advance. With this advance notice, many facilities can clean up their act in time. In addition, FDA guidance on the inspection of drug manufacturing facilities abroad that said that sample collection is not required during inspections at foreign facilities. Schumer today urged the FDA to stop giving Chinese manufacturers prior notice of inspections and to collect sample products when inspecting foreign facilities.

Mandate Overseas Inspections for Other Agencies – Currently, NHTSA and the CPSC do not require that products entering this country (such as tires in the case of NHTSA or toys in the case of CPSC) to undergo inspections in their point of origin. In addition, the plants that these products are manufactured in are not subject to “spot checks.” Because of this, these Chinese plants have no incentive to clean up their act. Schumer urged the NHTSA and the CPSC to mandate overseas inspections for facilities abroad.

More Rigid Food Safety Requirements—In May, Schumer co-sponsored an amendment proposed by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) that establishes an early warning and notification system for contaminated food, creates a system of fines for companies that don’t report contaminated food products in a timely matter, and improves the inspections and monitoring of imported food. This amendment passed the Senate by a vote of 94-0.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Bookmark to: