The Government of the United States Clarifies that It Has Not Restricted Import of Honduran Agricultural Products

July 11, 2008

TEGUCIGALPA – The Government of the United States informs the public and wishes to make it clear that it has not placed any “restriction” or “sanction” against any Honduran agricultural product.

We wish to make it clear that no U.S. Government agency has implemented new restrictions on any Honduran agricultural product, aside from the importation alert issued last March regarding certain cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano.  This alert remains active until verification that the company has implemented the necessary measures to prevent the contamination that provoked illness to 50 people in 16 States throughout the United States earlier this year.

The reports are based on information that appeared on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website indicating that in the month of June, 18 separate shipments of Honduran food products were rejected at the U.S. point of entry because they did not meet the requirements for entry to the U.S. market.  This is not new.  Border sanitary inspectors all over the world refuse entry of food products every day for not meeting one or another requirement.

The FDA inspects more than 12 million shipments every year to determine their admissibility.  Last month, shipments from 74 countries were rejected, including 109 from Mexico, 71 from Canada, 28 from Guatemala and 18 from Honduras.  These products were rejected for several reasons, including the lack of appropriate packaging or labeling.  In Honduras’ case, 10 of the 18 rejected shipments were denied because they did not have labels in English.  No sanction was placed on the companies that sent the products, aside from rejecting the shipment in question.

Where there is greater trade, there is a greater chance that one day a box may be rejected for not meeting the entry requirements.  The export of Honduran agricultural products to the United States increased by 17 percent last year - equal to $540 million.  Throughout this year, exports have grown more than 20 percent.