FDA Joins CBP Import Targeting Center; FWS and NMFS Also to Participate
The Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service are joining CBP’s import safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC). CBP finalized agreements with the three agencies on March 15, it said. The addition of FDA, FWS, and the NMFS brings the number of agencies participating in the center up to 11.
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“Partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection is an important mechanism that helps to identify shipments of food and medical products at our border that may pose a threat to the health of the American public,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. “It also provides the opportunity to collaborate with other federal agencies in a novel information-sharing environment to ensure consumers that the products they use are safe, effective and of the highest quality.”
Through CBP’s Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center, partner agencies are granted access to import data to allow for quicker and more informed decision-making on targeting import shipments. The center brings together personnel from all 11 agencies to “leverage their collective resources, expertise and authorities in the development of innovative targeting procedures,” said CBP in its announcement. Agencies that currently participate in the center include the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, ICE, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and now FDA, FWS, and the NMFS.