Summit focuses on product safety and consumer confidence.
Press Release Summary:
Working in conjunction with 11 leading associations and representatives of President's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, ANSI is focusing on need to strengthen import safety. At Import Safety Summit on July 9, Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO, will moderate panel, which will address importance of accredited 3rd body certification programs. Panelists will describe why certain existing programs were formed, how they are working, and how products and issues are being tracked.
Original Press Release:
Registration Deadline Nears for July 9 Inter-Industry Import Safety Summit
Agenda Focuses Cross-Sector Attention on Product Safety and Consumer Confidence
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), working in conjunction with eleven other leading associations and representatives of the President's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, is focusing the attention of industry and government leaders on the need to strengthen import safety.
"It's been nearly one year since the numerous recalls in the toy and food industries," said Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "Since then, nearly every industry has taken steps to enhance the safety of its consumer products. But more needs to be done. U.S. citizens count on industry to work in partnership with government to uphold the highest possible level of import safety. The public-private partnership must become stronger so that we can improve the quality and safety of supplier networks."
The discussion of what to do next - and how - will continue next week at the ANSI-co-sponsored Import Safety Summit on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. More than 200 attendees have already registered for the event, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC.
Secretary Michael O. Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and chair of the President's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety will set the stage with a keynote address. He will then be joined by a panel of C-Suite executives from a broad range of consumer-focused companies to explore import safety challenges and solutions.
Bhatia will moderate the day's second panel, which will address the role and importance of accredited third-body certification programs in enhancing product safety and building consumer confidence. Building on references in the Action Plan for Import Safety, panelists will describe how and why certain existing programs were formed, how they are working, and how products and issues are being tracked throughout the supply chain.
Representatives from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the Toy Industry Association, GS1 US, the Food Marketing Institute, Consumers Union, and Intertek are scheduled to join Bhatia on the panel. The discussion will further develop themes introduced during ANSI's "Building Consumer Confidence" conference in September 2007 and is expected to serve as the genesis for additional ANSI events later this year.
Complete program information and online registration is available on the Import Safety Summit webpage. Registration is required by Tuesday, July 8, 2008.
For more information about the Import Safety Summit, view these previous articles from ANSI Online news:
Import Safety Summit Agenda to Focus on Product Safety and Consumer Confidence (June 6, 2008)
Import Safety Summit to Unite Government and Industry in Commitment to Consumer Safety (May 15, 2008)
