Food Safety and Quality: Five Countries' Efforts to Meet U.S. Requirements onImported Produce

摘要

With the rapid growth in fruit and vegetable imports during the 1980s, concernabout the safety and quality of imported foods and the presence of pesticide residues has increased. Previous GAO work identified weaknesses in monitoring imported food and limited information on foreign pesticide use. As a result, Representatives Leon Panetta and Frank Horton asked GAO to provide information on foreign government and private industry efforts to ensure that imported fresh produce meets U.S. safety and quality standards, what U.S. agencies are doing to assist foreign countries in meeting U.S. safety requirements, and U.S. agencies' responsibilities for safety and quality of imported produce.