U.S. Looks to Japan Model for Revamped Food Safety System

TOKYO — With Americans growing increasingly concerned about the safety of Chinese products, Washington has begun looking for solutions in Japan.

The Japanese have developed tough approaches for ensuring the quality of Chinese imports, particularly food — in part by far more rigorous testing of its imported food than in the United States. But the innovation getting the most American attention is Japan’s system for screening Chinese producers even before they ship their merchandise to Japan.

A report released last week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee cited Japan’s system for monitoring spinach and other Chinese food exports as a possible model for importers in the United States. Last month, a White House working group issued its own report after visiting Tokyo, and even Chinese officials have urged the United States to adopt the Japanese approach.

Citing the Food and Drug Administration, the House report described Japan’s model as the most realistic one for protecting American consumers. “The Japanese system of regulating Chinese food imports does appear to offer better control than that currently used by FDA,” it concluded.

Read the full New York Times story here.