( CNN ) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Friday promised a safer U.S. food supply when it implements two new rules regulating food imported to the United States . The first rule would put the burden on U.S. food importers to ensure their foreign suppliers are meeting U.S. food safety standards . The second would establish provisions for certifying third-party auditors in these countries . `` Many of the most vulnerable commodities are coming from countries with less-mature systems in terms of regulatory oversight and farming practices , '' FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg said . `` This is an opportunity to help build regulatory capacity and improve safety standards . '' The FDA will open the proposed regulations to public comment for a period of 120 days . It expects implementation of these changes to take two to three years . With 15 % of the U.S. food supply coming from overseas , including 20 % of fresh vegetables and 50 % of fresh fruit , Hamburg said these regulations are long overdue . The most recent case of contaminated food involved pomegranate seeds from Turkey ; as of Wednesday , 153 people have been sickened by Hepatitis A after eating the seeds . `` Food-borne illnesses continue to take a great toll on American consumers , killing almost 3,000 people each year , '' Hamburg said . `` The health of our families is too important not to take the steps we 're announcing today . '' The current food safety system in the United States relies on FDA inspectors at ports of entry around the country physically inspecting food and detaining items that may pose a hazard to the American public . But inspectors can only physically examine 2 % of the nation 's incoming food supply , according to the agency , leaving the other 98 % unchecked . The best way to fill that gap , the government agency says , is to require importers to oversee their suppliers , and in turn , for FDA to oversee those importers . `` These regulations represent a shift toward prevention and for industry being responsible for documenting what they have done to prevent problems from occurring , '' said Michael Taylor , the FDA deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine . The rules also propose a preferred vendor program of sorts , giving foreign food companies incentives to comply with U.S. safety standards . `` There will be opportunities to see their products move more swiftly ( through the import process ) if they have a record of compliance , '' Hamburg said . `` This will increase incentives for companies to fully comply . '' Food safety watchdog groups applauded the FDA 's movement on the issue . `` Once finalized , the rules would ensure that foreign foods are held to the same high safety standards as American products , '' the Pew Research Group wrote in a statement . `` By holding overseas producers to U.S. food safety standards , the new rules would establish a level playing field that would also benefit U.S. businesses , farmers and food processors . '' The Center for Science in the Public Interest also said , `` Today 's long-delayed announcement that the FDA is moving forward on regulations to increase the safety of imported foods is good news and , if finalized , will lead to safer foods . Supplier verification means that companies should know who they are buying from -- not just their name and address but their food safety practices . '' The proposed rules come in response to the Food Safety Modernization Act , signed into law in January 2011 . The act represented the first major changes in food safety policy in the United States in more 70 years .
FDA proposes two new safety rules in response to the Food Safety Modernization Act . Fifteen percent of food supply comes from overseas , including 20 % of fresh vegetables . Inspectors only examine about 2 % of incoming food supply , FDA says .