Why the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is Important to FDA | FDA

Why the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is Important to FDA | FDA

Why the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is Important to FDA



A Global Perspective By: Anne Kirchner and Joseph Rieras

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) becomes effective today (July 1, 2020). From FDA’s point of view, it aligns regulatory standards with agency practices, betters the quality of products available to American consumers, and levels the playing field for American businesses. Trade policy is a topic that doesn’t necessarily come to mind when thinking about FDA. But, in fact, there’s two reasons why FDA follows trade policy closely: to protect our regulations and authorities and to use trade agreements as a vehicle to advance public health. Before we elaborate, here’s a bit of background. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the multilateral organization which established the basic rules of trade between its 164 Member nations, including the United States.

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