Press Announcements > Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas on a new strategy to advance FDA’s food safety mission and modernize oversight of imported food

Press Announcements > Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas on a new strategy to advance FDA’s food safety mission and modernize oversight of imported food

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas on a new strategy to advance FDA’s food safety mission and modernize oversight of imported food

American consumers expect a diverse, robust and fresh food supply that’s affordable and safe all year round. Since not all food products can be produced solely by domestic facilities, to help meet these demands, the U.S. imports about 15 percent of its overall food supply from more than 200 countries or territories representing about 125,000 international food facilities and farms. Over the past 15 years alone, we’ve seen a trend of rising imported foods. Other countries now supply about 32 percent of the fresh vegetables, 55 percent of the fresh fruit and 94 percent of the seafood that Americans enjoy.  Even though we’ve seen an increase in imported foods, the safety of food products available to American consumers hasn’t waned thanks to the important roles that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the food industry and our regulatory counterparts around the world play in