Bush outlines product, food safety changes

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Safety measures for imported and domestic goods and broader powers for a federal watchdog agency were unveiled Tuesday by U.S. President George Bush.

The Interagency Working Group on Import Safety offered 14 recommendations in its report to the administration, the president said in a briefing. The panel, formed after a string of product recalls and concerns about tainted food, was led by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.

The panel recommended giving the Food and Drug Administration new authority to issue recalls of unsafe food if a company is found to be dragging its feet or refuses to issue a voluntary recall.

Among the recommendations were establishing incentives for importers "to meet our standards," Bush said, as well as higher penalties for violations. The recommendations also would increase training of inspectors abroad to "stop the danger at their borders, not ours."

Bush said some of the recommendations could be addressed through executive order and others would require legislation.