FDA slow to implement import safety rules

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to implement a measure approved seven years ago to ensure the safety of food imports.

The rule, which was later added to the Bioterrorism Act enacted in 2002, requires food shipments that have been rejected at U.S. ports for safety reasons to be marked "UNITED STATES REFUSED ENTRY," to prevent importers from taking the shipments to ports with more lax security, USA Today reported Wednesday.

However, the FDA has not yet outlined specifications for the rule, including the size and location of the mark, leaving the law unenforced.

A recent Bush administration report found that some importers are continuing to try to sneak rejected goods into U.S. ports.

William Hubbard, a former FDA senior associate commissioner who left the agency in 2005, said the lack of a marking system "is a failure of the FDA."