Consumer Product Safety Commission rolls out new port strategy for U.S.-bound imports

Staff -- Logistics Management, 3/7/2008

LOS ANGELES—With an eye on the increasing amount of consumer goods being imported into the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal concern dedicated to ensuring the safety of consumer products, said this week it is partnering with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to launch new import strategies and provide a greater presence at U.S. ports.

The CPSC, in conjunction with CBP, has established what it described as an Import Surveillance Division, which will be charged with inspecting, detecting, and stopping hazardous products from entering into the U.S. The Port of Long Beach, Calif. will be the first port to have a permanent CPSC presence.

And CPSC Acting Chairwoman Nancy Nord said that CBP and CPSC will also be augmenting its relations at the ports of entry where there is a CPSC presence. At these ports, said Nord, CBP will have be able to identity, stop, examine, and either hold or release U.S.-bound shipments. Nord also noted that CPSC will also test more samples and conduct more port-of-entry surveillance blitzes with help from CBP.

CSPC will also be leveraging CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), a commercial trade processing system being developed by CBP to facilitate legitimate trade while strengthening border security. The CPSC said that using ACE will “expose [them] to many potential problems sooner, and give the agency more time and information to respond before the dangerous product reaches U.S. shores.”

Last November, President George W. Bush called for the U.S. to establish new incentives for importers that follow strong safety practices and demonstrate a good track record.

These incentives are based on recommendations from an Interagency Working Group on Import Safety that was established in July on an executive order from the President. In September, this group issued a report to President Bush that recommended the U.S. change its strategies to ensure the safety of imports. The President reported earlier this week that the working group suggested the United States should adopt “a smarter and more effective approach that focuses on prevention—building safety into products from the very beginning of the supply chain.”

This approach, said Bush, will focus on stopping dangerous products from reaching the U.S. border and ensuring that food and consumer products meet U.S. standards for safety before leaving their home countries. This is not a small task as the U.S. in 2006 imported nearly $2 trillion of goods though more than 825,000 importers.