U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mike Leavitt signed a Joint Progress Statement with Honorable Li Changjiang, Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China. The document outlines steps taken by both nations in implementing the 2007 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on food and feed safety. Progress made so far in the MOA implementation are:

• Establishment of a mechanism for cooperation on significant events related to food and feed safety.
• Development of concrete steps that will lead to a system whereby AQSIQ will electronically certify to FDA that specific products sent for export to the United States meet FDA standards for safety and manufacturing quality.
• Focus efforts on inspections and supervision and laboratory testing standards to ensure food and feed safety.
• Establishment of a cooperative mechanism to notify each other of significant risks to public health related to product safety or the gross deception of consumers.

To view the Joint Progress Statement Regarding the Five-Year Work Plan under the MOA, visit http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/international/progress_HHS_China.pdf.