A new report finds the Food and Drug Administration talking up the efforts of those personnel responsible for ensuring the safety of products incoming from Latin America. The agency points out that many of the items which we interact with on a daily basis will have at least some ingredients imported from a Latin American country. It’s up to the Latin America Office to make sure those things are safe.
The director of the aforementioned office points out that regulation and coordination can sometimes be a tall order, considering that there are 44 territories and countries that the LAO has to work with. However, such an endeavor is seen as essential in an era of globalization. The FDA estimates that three out of ten products that fall within their regulatory purview hail from Latin America.
The most common products to come to the United States from Latin America are seafood and produce. The FDA points out that eight of the top ten produce exporters to the United States reside in Latin America.
Much of the scope of the FDA’s work hinges on communication. The FDA both wants to be kept informed of changes to regulations in Latin American countries and to keep those countries up to date with how the FDA operates. The FDA also attempts to work directly with countries and businesses to allow for inspections of facilities that ship items to the United States.