Workshop "Food Security: Make It Your Business"
Awareness: Protecting the Food Supply

Food Security Awareness in the 21st Century (several images of inspectors at work)

Food Security vs. Food Safety

• Food Security
  • protection of food products from intentional adulteration
• Food Safety
  • protection of food products from unintentional contamination

Why the Food Supply?

• Deliberate contamination could have significant consequences:
  • Economic
  • Public Health
  • Psychological & Political

Potential Impacts

• Economic
  • $1.24 trillion or 13% of GDP
  • 2% of jobs relate to agriculture
  • $60 billion in U.S. exports
• Economic affects: Farm-to-Table
  • 2.2 million farms located across the U.S.
  • More than 57,000 food processors, including 6,500 process meat, poultry, and egg products
  • 164 import establishments
  • More than 1.2 million retail food facilities nationwide
• Public Health:
  • Consequences of Foodborne Disease Incidents from unintentional contamination of the U.S. food supply - CDC reports annually
    • > 76 million illnesses; 325,000 hospitalizations; 5,000 deaths
• Psychological and Political

Lessons Learned

• Foodborne disease outbreaks provide insight into:
  • Foods more vulnerable to terrorism
  • Points in the production where vulnerabilities exist
  • Public health impact

Unintentional Incidents

• In 1985 > 16,000 confirmed illnesses; 17 deaths in six states from Salmonella typhimurium
  • Product: Milk produced at a single dairy plant
  • Cause: Recontamination of pasteurized milk
• In 1994: 150 confirmed illnesses from Salmonella enteritidis
  • Product: Ice cream produced in a single facility
  • Cause: Cross contamination of pasteurized ice cream mix

Intentional Adulteration (graphics of foods)

Intentional Incidents

• In 1984: Oregon cult members added Salmonella to restaurant salad bars
  • Intent: Affect outcome of local election
  • Result: 751 illnesses, 45 hospitalized, no fatalities
• In 1996: Contaminated tray of doughnuts and muffins with Shigella dysenteriae Type 2
  • Intent: Disgruntled former employee
  • Result: 12 employees suffered severe gastrointestinal illness; 4 hospitalized; no fatalities
• In 2003: 200 pounds of ground beef contaminated at supermarket with a nicotine-based pesticide
  • Intent: Disgruntled current employee
  • Result: 92 individuals reported becoming ill after consuming the ground beef

Let's Think Globally

• Using threats as a weapon
• Threat of economic or public health impacts
• Threat of tampering

Threat Incident

• In 1989: Threat of cyanide contaminated Chilean grapes imported into the U.S.
  • Intent: Economic and political gain by terrorist group
  • Result: Incident cost $200 million in lost revenue

What Foods Are Most Vulnerable?

• Factors associated with foods more vulnerable to terrorism:
  • Large batches
  • Uniform mixing
  • Short shelf life
  • Ease of access
• Other Factors
  • Large serving size
  • Ease to disguise a contaminant
  • Absence of tamper evident packaging
  • Highly desirable targets for emotional impact
  • Country of Origin
  • Ready-to-eat foods

Potential Agents

• Biological agents
• Chemical agents
• Radiological agents
• Physical agents

Attractiveness of Agents

• Incubation period
• Heat sensitivity
• Potency
• History of use
• Stability in food conditions
• Availability
• Physical form of material
• Traceable

Aggressors

• Adulteration of products requires aggressor have:
  • Desire
  • Knowledge of product
  • Materials, skills and ability
  • Access to sufficient contaminant

Types of Aggressors

• Disgruntled insiders
• Criminals
• Protestors
• Subversives
• Terrorists

Tactics of Aggressors

• Insider compromise
• Exterior attack
• Forced entry
• Covert entry

Employee Attitudes

• Apathy
• Too few resources
• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of commitment

Your Responsibilities

• Awareness
• Decrease vulnerabilities
• Decrease availability of potential contaminants
• Identify possible aggressors
• Encourage employee vigilance
• Communication

Any Questions?