Summit to focus on product safety and consumer confidence.

Press Release Summary:



Scheduled for July 9, 2008, Import Safety Summit will be comprised of 5 moderated, panel-based discussions involving public and private sector leaders. Participants will learn about solutions being developed and examine challenges that still need to be addressed in nation's public-private partnership on import safety. Standards and Certification panel will address importance of accredited 3rd-body certification in enhancing product safety and building consumer confidence.



Original Press Release:



Import Safety Summit Agenda to Focus on Product Safety and Consumer Confidence



The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) reminds all interested parties to register for the upcoming Import Safety Summit, an inter-industry conference to be held in Washington, DC on July 9, 2008. Registration is required by July 8, 2008.
ANSI has partnered with eleven other organizations to sponsor the summit, which will feature a keynote address by Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Secretary Leavitt is also the Chair of the President's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety.

Comprised of five moderated, panel-based discussions involving public and private sector leaders, the summit will provide opportunities for participants to learn about the solutions being developed and to examine the challenges that still need to be addressed in the nation's public-private partnership on import safety.

ANSI president and CEO S. Joe Bhatia will moderate the Standards and Certification panel, which will address the importance of accredited third-body certification in enhancing product safety and building consumer confidence.

Private sector initiated and driven standards-setting, auditing and certification efforts already play a critical role in allowing purchasers and suppliers to establish and maintain confidence in their products and business partners. The Action Plan for Import Safety identified accredited independent third-party certification as a key resource to improving the safety of products. The Standards and Certification panel will highlight current successful accredited third-party certification programs and discuss the unique role that they can play.

Additional panels on the agenda include:

Import Safety - Challenges and Solutions: This panel will discuss the importance of promoting safety throughout the supply chain and will identify both cross-cutting and unique steps that each industry can take to help ensure the safety of its products.

Food Industry: This panel will discuss these challenges faced by the food industry, and will highlight comprehensive supply chain processes to effectively enhance the safety of food products.

Consumer Products: Emphasizing the importance of a risk-based approach to import safety, this group will provide examples of the processes that major retailers and consumer products manufacturers already undertake to ensure consumer product safety.

"The Import Safety Summit is a great opportunity for the standards and conformity assessment community to work with representatives from the public and private sectors in crafting effective and practicable solutions to strengthen the global supply chain," said Scott Cooper, ANSI's vice president of government relations and public policy. "We look forward to meeting with members of various industries - from food and consumer products to pharmaceutical and medical devices - to help restore consumer trust in what is now a global marketplace."

The Import Safety Summit is open to all interested participants, and will be held on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC.

For more information, and to register online, visit the Import Safety Summit webpage. To view the draft agenda, please click here.

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