Inspection Tour Builds Quality, Official Says
By Sara Ganus, The Oklahoman
Aug. 10–As more and more food products are produced outside of the United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is developing improved assessment systems that not only include inspections but also working with producers, U.S. Secretary of Health Michael Leavitt said Thursday.
“We’re making clear to every nation that if they desire to produce products for American consumers, they need to meet the expectations of quality and safety we have,” Leavitt said after speaking at Thursday’s American Indian health symposium at the OU College of Public Health. “We’re reaching beyond our borders and saying to them, let us teach you, help you, technically and otherwise, to understand what our expectations are so that we are able to build quality and safety into the product before it gets here.”
Last month — after numerous reports of recalled products from China — President Bush asked Leavitt to head a food safety task force and evaluate safety procedures for imported goods.
Leavitt ended his nationwide tour of inspecting supermarkets, food-processing plants and distribution centers in Oklahoma on Thursday.
“This isn’t just about inspecting at the end; it’s about building quality into the process,” he said.
The Health and Human Services Department is continually looking for ways to improve that process from beginning to end, Leavitt added.
“There will always — no matter where we get our food — there will be certain risks that we seek to minimize, but the truth is, they’re there,” he said. “So we have recalls periodically, and our goal is to do them as rapidly as possible.”
Leavitt added that in the midst of the recalls and food safety scares, it is important to recognize that Americans enjoy the safest food supply in the world.
Earlier Thursday, Leavitt spoke to Oklahoma tribal leaders and health care providers and expressed concern about the lack of preparedness for a potential pandemic influenza and the state of health among American Indians.
Leavitt said the No. 1 public health issue on which Americans are most vulnerable is the next pandemic influenza, which — he said — is inevitable.
“Any nation or community that fails to prepare with the expectation that somehow the federal government will come in at the last moment and be able to rescue them will be sadly mistaken,” he said. “It’s not because we lack a will or lack a way … it’s because we don’t have any way. It’s just too big.”
Leavitt also emphasized the need for federal, tribal, state and local resources to form a partnership and reach out to urban and rural American Indian communities and educate them about disease prevention.
Gary Raskob, dean of the OU College of Public Health, praised Leavitt for his remarks.
“Our federal investments are out of balance, and we’re really glad the secretary has seen that as a priority,” Raskob said.
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