Chinese Imports to be More Closely Monitored

Scott Kappes

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Over the past year problems with Chinese products being imported to the United States have been well documented. Whether it was the seemingly never-ending recalls of Chinese-made toys containing lead paint or the recall of the blood-thinner Heparin which was found to be contaminated during the Chinese-based portion of the manufacturing process, it has been an all too common occurrence and increased pressure from industry and the American public are starting to show up in policy.

The FDA’s budget was recently significantly increased to provide for the demanding need for additional inspections on foreign manufacturing plants. Health and Human Services Secretary, Mike Leavitt, now claims that as many as 15 new Chinese-based inspectors will arrive in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou as early as October. Health and Human Services have also announced plans to open a Chinese office in the near future.

Leavitt told Bloomberg that China’s government has already been working to improve the safety of the country’s exports. “I don’t think they’ve got the problem completely solved, but it was clear to them that the made-in-China brand was affected by product-quality problems and they moved aggressively to begin making progress,” he said.

While this probably will not completely eliminate future problems with Chinese-made goods it will hopefully have a huge impact on preventing dangerous products from ever making it to American soil.