The title of this entry is the title of a new interim Cabinet-level report to the President of the United States.  Bush ordered eight cabinet officials, in July, to study the safety of food imports. Their report is 28 pages (PDF link) of vague happy talk.

Remember my ongoing criticism that trade policy trumps everything else, instead of serving other more important interests?  Here is the guiding principle in the report.

The report outlines an approach that can build upon existing efforts to improve the safety of imported products, while facilitating trade. ...

The federal government cannot and should not attempt to physically inspect every product entering the United States. Doing so would not only bring international trade to a standstill, but would also distract limited resources from those imported goods that pose the greatest risk.

We must facilitate trade with improved food safety.  We can't inspect stuff.  Slowing trade is unacceptable, even if a few kids or pets die. 

We recommend working with the importing community to develop approaches that consider risks over the life cycle of an imported product, and that focus actions and resources to minimize the likelihood of unsafe products reaching U.S. consumers.

These are the players they need to coordinate with:

The scale and complexity of the import network is vast, with over 825,000 importers bringing shipments into the U.S. in FY 2006 through more than 300 seaports, land border crossings, postal facilities, and other ports-of-entry. Approximately 80 percent of these shipments are by one-time or infrequent (2-10 times) importers. 

Government agencies can't even get their computer systems harmonized.  They cannot believe that collaboration with Canadian, Chinese, Mexican, Japanese and European governments and private companies will produce an acceptable safety shield.  This is rhetoric.  Period.  It won't happen.  Nice words shielding the principle that trade (or rather cheap imports) must win... always... without restriction and without any bumps in the road.

Here are the recommendations:

Supporting this model are six building blocks: 1) Advance a common vision, 2) Increase accountability, enforcement and deterrence, 3) Focus on risks over the life cycle of an imported product, 4) Build interoperable systems, 5) Foster a culture of collaboration, and 6) Promote technological innovation and new science.

What does that mean?  Nothing. 

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