http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01888.html

September 18, 2008

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a proposed rule designed to reduce a practice known as "port shopping" which puts the safety of imported food at risk.

"This system will make it more difficult for food importers to evade import controls after being denied admission into the United States," said Randall Lutter, Ph.D., deputy commissioner for policy. "It will complement our ongoing efforts to monitor food imports."

When FDA refuses to admit a food into the United States, the food must be exported or destroyed. But some persons attempt to bring the refused food back into the United States in the same condition by shipping it to another U.S. port in hopes that the food will be admitted there.

The proposed regulation would require that shipping containers of food barred from entry, and any accompanying documents, be labeled as refused. The label would make it easier for FDA to detect previously-refused food.

The proposed rule implements a provision of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which provided the FDA with new authority to protect the nation’s food supply.

Under the proposed rule, all owners or consignees of refused food would be required to affix a label to the shipping container that reads: "UNITED STATES: REFUSED ENTRY" in clear, conspicuous, print. A label would also have to be affixed to all documents accompanying the imported food such as invoices, bills of lading, and electronic documents.

The FDA will accept comment on the proposed regulation for 75 days following its publication in the Federal Register. Written comments may be submitted to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=FDA-2007-N-0465

This would affect everything you see in the monthly OASIS reports that does not gain entry into the US by further testing results on the part of the importer.  It looks like it would keep items which are refused entry into the US from gaining entry at another US port.

Those of you who have followed the OASIS refusals have seen exporters send something, have it refused one month, then try to ship it into the US once again, via a different port of entry.

We're all asked to give our thoughts at the link for 75 days, so let's hope everyone will speak his or her mind about the proposal.  Unless there's more to it than this, I doubt this alone will do it.

Just so you know, I had the same problem as Nabiya.......I typed in "Individual Consumer" under organization & it was accepted.

Ah yes, I had my say.......

Edited to add:  Am I the only stupid one here?  The first thing in my comment was: 
"You'll have to excuse me for this stupid comment but I assumed that when something was refused entry into this country for filth or poison, it was marked as such."

I wasn't trying to be a smartass but this blows my mind.

The labels should be lasered on so they can't be covered up or a big skull and crossbones with neon paint be put across so no one has any doubt that it was refused.