US official seeks more cooperation on food, drug safety

China and the US should further cooperate on food safety, animal feed and medical products, said Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in a talk on Monday to Peking University students.

Sweeping economic and technological changes have revolutionized international trade over the last several decades, creating a truly global marketplace for goods and services. Accounting for 20 to 25 percent of all US consumer spending, products regulated by the FDA is a substantial component of this global economy, she said.

Food and medical products, and their ingredients and components—products that directly and profoundly affect the health and welfare of the U.S. public—are increasingly sourced abroad.

According to Hamburg, as U.S. consumers continue to demand global products, the FDA's ability to ensure the safety and quality of these imported products will depend on its execution of a myriad of global engagement strategies.

In 2008, for example, the United States imported more than $5 billion in food products from China (approximately 6 percent, in dollar value, of total U.S. food imports that year); almost $700 million of pharmaceutical products; and more than $3 billion of medical devices.

"Today we recognize that to successfully protect U.S. public health, we must think, act, and engage globally. Our interests must be broader than simply those within our own borders," she said.

In 2008, the Administration opened a China office, which according to Hamburg was a critical milestone in the new era of US–China cooperation on the safety of food, animal feed, and medical products.

In December 2007, Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), and FDA formalized their cooperation, when the United States and China signed two precedent-setting memoranda of agreement to enhance the safety of food, drugs, medical devices, and animal feed traded between the two countries.

Under these legally binding agreements, the United States and China have agreed to notify one another as soon as they discover a circumstance, such as a product recall, that could endanger public health. In addition, Chinese regulators will require registration of products exported to the United States and work toward a system to certify that these products meet FDA standards before they are exported.

These agreements are currently the only binding agreements the FDA has with another regulator.

The Commissioner said that the agreement provided an important framework for the FDA's China Office to enhance technical cooperation and information flow with the SFDA.

She said that the two countries' cooperation is also reflected in the education and scientific research area.

In November 2008, Peking University, in cooperation with the FDA, started a graduate program in pharmaceutical engineering management.

"This model program trains future leaders in China's pharmaceutical industry, while accelerating modernization of the industry itself," she said.

The commissioner expressed her wish for further cooperation with Chinese pharmaceutical regulators and researchers to ensure a safer supply of food and drugs for the two countries.