USDA Wants to Open Up Tomato Imports

WASHINGTON - Feb 6/06 - SNS -- The USDA wants to allow imports of pink and red tomatoes from certain Central American countries.

The proposed rule from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was published in the Federal Register on pages 6011-6016.

It states, "We are proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of fruits and vegetables in order to allow pink and red tomatoes grown in approved registered production sites in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to be imported into the United States without treatment.

"The conditions to which the proposed importation of tomatoes would be subject, including trapping, pre-harvest inspection, and shipping procedures, are designed to prevent the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States. This action would allow for the importation of pink and red tomatoes from those countries in Central America while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests into the United States."