The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced the creation of the Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) – a new US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility designed to streamline and enhance federal efforts to address import safety issues.
“In addition to guarding against terrorism and crime, securing our borders and facilitating legitimate trade involve ensuring the safety of imported products, this new targeting center will enhance the inspection of goods entering our country by centralizing and strengthening federal efforts to protect US consumers,” explained Secretary Napolitano.
The Import Safety CTAC will combine the resources and manpower of CBP and other government agencies – including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety Inspection Service – to protect the American public from harm caused by unsafe imported products by improving communication and information-sharing and reducing redundant inspection activities.
According to DHS, the new facility, reflects the three core principles announced by President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group in July: prevention, surveillance and response.
Created in March 2009, the Working Group was tasked with advising President Obama on how to upgrade the US food safety system for the 21st century.
Approximately 30 personnel, representing all of the participating agencies, will work at the CTAC, which will be headed by and located adjacent to CBP’s Office of International Trade in Washington DC.
