WFLO worked with the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program to
coordinate a multi-city port inspection tour for four Egyptian port
officials responsible for authorizing imports from the US. The tour
took place from May 28 to June 10, 2007 and included meetings with
USDA officials and inspectors in Washington, DC and at each port
visited, as well as with port authority management representatives,
officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the
Department of Homeland Security, and private sector representatives
of US logistical services companies handling import and export
distribution of food products. The program also incorporated
training seminars, at which the delegates learned more about
inspection, sampling techniques, food safety, and port clearance
procedures at the each of the five ports visited. The participants
visited five ports and facilities in Baltimore, Maryland;
Wilmington, Delaware; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jacksonville,
Florida; and Houston/La Porte, Texas.
