[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 27 (Monday, July 12, 1999)]
[Pages 1277-1278]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on the Safety of Imported Foods

July 3, 1999

Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary 
of the Treasury

Subject: Safety of Imported Foods

    While the United States has one of the safest food supplies in the 
world, outbreaks of foodborne illness are still all too prevalent. 
Millions of Americans are stricken by illness each year from foods they 
consume, and thousands, mostly the very young and the elderly, die as a 
result. The threats come from a variety of sources, including both 
imported and domestically produced foods.
    Foodborne illness is difficult to control in a changing world. 
Consumers enjoy a greater variety of foods than they did 50 years ago, 
including a greater emphasis on food from all around the world. 
Americans also eat more foods prepared outside their homes, such as 
foods prepared in grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, 
schools, and day care centers. We also are seeing the emergence of new 
foodborne pathogens such as the highly virulent E. Coli O157:H7.
    For these reasons, my Administration has made food safety a high 
priority. I have requested substantial annual increases to fund food 
safety initiatives such as a nationwide early warning system for 
foodborne illness, increased inspections, and the expansion of food 
safety research, risk assessment, and education. In January of 1997, I 
directed the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
to identify specific steps to improve the safety of the food supply. In 
October of 1997, I expanded my initiative to provide special emphasis on 
the safety of domestic and imported fruits and vegetables. Last year at 
this time, I announced the creation of a Joint Institute for Food Safety 
Research (JIFSR) to develop a strategic plan for conducting food safety 
research and efficiently coordinating all Federal food safety research. 
In August of 1998, I issued an Executive order to create the President's 
Council on Food Safety, which is charged with (1) developing a 
comprehensive plan for all Federal food safety activities, (2) advising 
agencies of food safety priorities and developing coordinated food 
safety budgets, and (3) overseeing the JIFSR. We have made significant 
steps domestically to help ensure the safety of our food supply.
    Today, I am expanding my Administration's food safety efforts even 
further to focus on the safety of imported foods. While the majority of 
imported food is safe, problems do exist. These problems are the result 
of two major changes. At the turn of the century, relatively few foods 
were imported, but today, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the 
importation of foods. Imports have doubled over the past 7 years and, 
based on recent trends, we expect at least an additional 30 percent 
increase by 2002. Finished and fully packaged food products account for 
an increasing proportion of all imported foods and there has been a huge 
increase in fresh produce from all over the world.
    While there is no evidence that imported foods pose more of a risk 
than domestic foods and most importers comply with the applicable 
requirements, there are a few ``bad actor'' importers who violate the 
rules and work to subvert the system. We must give the agencies 
responsible for food safety the tools necessary to deal with the 
importers who try to break the rules. While the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) inspects domestic facilities, it has, in 
conjunction with the United States Customs Service (Customs), relied 
primarily on border inspection to ensure the safety of imported foods.
    I recognize that there are limitations on our resources and 
statutory authority to take

[[Page 1278]]

measures to protect consumers against unsafe imported foods. Indeed, 
there are currently bills before the Congress that would grant explicit 
authority to improve the safety of imported foods. I applaud these 
legislative efforts and will continue to work with the Congress to 
improve our authority and resources.
    Nevertheless, consistent with our international obligations, we must 
take whatever scientifically based steps we can to protect the public 
health in this area and provide the necessary tools to ensure the safety 
of imported food. Specifically, I direct you to take all actions 
available to:
    (1) Prevent distribution of imported unsafe food by means such as 
requiring food to be held until reviewed by FDA;
    (2) Destroy imported food that poses a serious public health threat;
    (3) Prohibit the reimportation of food that has been previously 
refused admission and has not been brought into compliance with United 
States laws and regulations (so called ``port shopping''), and require 
the marking of shipping containers and/or papers of imported food that 
is refused admission for safety reasons;
    (4) Set standards for private laboratories for the collection and 
analysis of samples of imported food for the purpose of gaining entry 
into the United States;
    (5) Increase the amount of the bond posted for imported foods when 
necessary to deter premature and illegal entry into the United States; 
and
    (6) Enhance enforcement against violations of United States laws 
related to the importation of foods, including through the imposition of 
civil monetary penalties.
    Accordingly, I direct you, in consultation with my Food Safety 
Council and relevant Federal agencies, particularly the Department of 
Agriculture and the United States Trade Representative, to report back 
to me within 90 days on the steps you will take in these areas to 
protect consumers from unsafe imported foods. We must do all that we can 
to protect Americans from unsafe food.
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: This memorandum was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on July 2 but was embargoed for release until 10:06 a.m. on 
July 3. An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this memorandum.