U.S., Canada, Mexico Strengthen Consumer Product Safety across North America
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, and the Consumer Protection Federal Agency of the United Mexican States (Profeco) concluded a consumer product safety Summit that was aimed at strengthening the protections for children and consumers throughout North America. The three federal agencies with jurisdiction over consumer products in the United States, Canada, and Mexico issued a joint statement promoting greater cooperation and engagement in ensuring the safety of products made and sold across North America.
According to the U.S. Trade Representative, the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico created the world's largest free trade area, linking 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services. The increasing volume of global trade and the complexity of global supply chains require cooperation among consumer product safety authorities. The organizations agreed to explore further opportunities for collaboration in the following six areas:
- consultation on proposed regulations and voluntary standards,
- cooperation on risk assessment,
- cooperation on import and market surveillance,
- cooperation on training and outreach within and outside North America,
- coordinated consumer awareness campaigns, and
- consultation on potential joint recalls or corrective actions.
"We are facing common challenges and opportunities to promote product safety, and we can be more effective in protecting consumers in the United States and across North America through collaboration and being proactive," says CPSC's Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.
"Having real intelligence to identify product safety risks is vital to reassure the consumers of our countries that we have secure borders, and companies that are committed to the consumer," says Profeco's Federal Consumer Attorney, Bernardo Altamirano Rodriguez.
Imports from Mexico and Canada accounted for the second and third largest shares, respectively, of imported consumer products likely to be under CPSC jurisdiction. Both countries share major land borders with the United States and products produced in or imported from outside North America to any of our three countries may easily find their way into another partner's jurisdiction.
The joint statement was issued during the First North America Consumer Product Summit hosted by the CPSC. The Summit aimed to provide an opportunity for product safety leaders of these countries to lay out their shared visions for enhanced consumer product safety cooperation. Chairman Tenenbaum also noted that the Summit serves as a practical demonstration of support for the principles behind President Obama's Regulatory Cooperation Council initiatives between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico.