Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said the United States has "among the safest food supplies on the planet. It's not perfect. We can get better. But we're very fortunate to live in a place where these problems are discovered quickly and responded to."

Bush also proposed increasing the presence of U.S. inspectors from Customs and Border Protection, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other agencies in countries that are major exporters to the United States.

Bush's proposal drew some quick criticism.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the president's package "leaves consumers in the dark and continues the hodgepodge of federal oversight."

Schumer said the FDA and CPSC need more money to carry out their jobs, consumers need quick and accessible food and product safety information and better oversight is needed.

Indeed, it remains to be seen how much the plans will cost, Leavitt and other administration officials said.

More money for the FDA will be "critical" if the food protection plan is to work, said Cal Dooley, president and chief executive officer of the Grocery Manufacturers Association/Food Products Association.

"We will have very limited success in changing the level of safety of our food supply if we do not see additional resources provided to FDA," Dooley said.

The administration sees the proposed certification program — likened to a seal of approval — for companies with a proven track record for meeting safety standards as a powerful tool, since it could make certified suppliers more attractive to big retailers.

In addition, regulators would be able to concentrate on countries and companies that don't have a reputation for meeting certification standards.

"For many years we've relied on a strategy based on identifying unsafe products at the border," Bush said. "The problem is that the growing volume of products coming into our country makes this approach increasingly unreliable."

He said federal regulators now will focus on stopping dangerous products from reaching U.S. borders in the first place.

Other proposals would strengthen CPSC's authority by making it illegal for companies to knowingly sell a recalled product; by authorizing the CPSC to issue follow-up recall announcements, and by requiring recalling companies to report supplier and delivery information. Further, CPSC would be able to impose asset forfeiture penalties for criminal offenses.