The new Import Safety Working Group will be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt.
"The administration is concerned about the safety of imported products that Americans eat and use and we'll start working on concrete steps to address whatever problems they may uncover," said White House spokesman Tony Snow, denying that the program is aimed at Chinese imports, which have been linked to the deaths of pets across the nation.
"This is not a slap at China," said Snow. "This is in fact a normal piece of business. We get food imports from 150 countries around the world. It's important to monitor them all."
Testifying Tuesday, FDA chief Andrew von Eschenbach, defended his agency's record to lawmakers and explained the FDA's rationale for closing some of its food-testing labs.
"The American food supply continues to be among the safest in the world," he said in his testimony. "Although we have made progress, much remains to be done."
Von Eschenbach added that consolidating labs would save money and increase efficiency. "With rapid-delivery services widely available, these laboratories do not need to be near every sample collection site," he said.
