Chinese food safety agreement announced

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 18 (UPI) -- Strong progress is being made on food and feed safety standards for imported Chinese food, officials of that nation and the United States announced.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt signed a statement Wednesday along with Li Changjiang, of the People's Republic of China outlining steps taken by both nations in implementing a 2007 Memorandum of Agreement on food and feed safety, it was announced in a joint press release following meetings in Annapolis, Md.

"Today's progress report reflects strong and sustained cooperation by both nations to strengthen the safety of food products exported to the United States from China," Leavitt said.

"I'm very pleased with our efforts and commend our Chinese counterparts for their commitment to this important work."

U.S. and Chinese officials continue working on implementation of a second Memorandum of Agreement signed in December 2007 to enhancing the safety of a variety of medical products.