A New International Commitment To Food Safety

Trade leaders from 21 nations, including the United States and China, will agree to a new set of food safety goals, following a series of recalls that rocked U.S. consumer confidence and Chinese manufacturing prestige.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, the leaders have drafted a declaration that would call on nations to "develop a more robust approach to strengthening food and consumer product safety standards and practices in the region, using scientific risk-based approaches, and without necessarily compromising trade," according to Reuters.

From toxic toothpaste to tainted pet food, both laced with cheap industrial chemicals substituted in for more expensive but safe counterparts, bad products originating in China have been making headlines in the United States. Hopefully, this agreement is another step -- along with growing calls for better enforcement of importation standards in the U.S. and oversight of manufacturers in China -- toward a safer food supply.

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