The New York Times reports that China and the U.S. have reached an agreement over food inspections, which calls for greater U.S. participation in the certification and inspection process:
The safety accord, part of several aimed at easing economic tensions with China on a number of divisive subjects, would impose new registration and inspection requirements by Chinese food exporters for 10 specific products, with the United States government maintaining a public list of the exporters’ records.
Michael O. Leavitt, secretary of health and human services, said he expected that Food and Drug Administration officials would eventually be embedded in China’s food safety bureaucracy to help train Chinese officials and keep records on their inspections. [Full text]
[Image of Michael O. Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services, via the New York Times]
