This online tool is part of an ongoing effort by FSIS to help protect the nation's supply of meat, poultry, and egg products from intentional contamination. During vulnerability assessments conducted jointly with FSIS, industry representatives suggested that a searchable, user-friendly tool was needed to facilitate identification and selection of applicable mitigation strategies (i.e., countermeasures).

This tool identifies some possible countermeasures that companies could implement, as part of a food defense plan, to better protect their business, employees, and customers. Some of the countermeasures are specific to particular assets or activities (nodes); others apply more generally to the facility as a whole. Written guidance regarding mitigation strategies is also available in Food Defense Guidelines for Slaughter and Processing Establishments, which can be obtained by calling the Small Plant Help Desk at 1-877-FSIS HELP (374-7435) and is also available on the web at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120916142626/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Securityguide.pdf.

The countermeasures listed in this tool are neither mandatory nor exhaustive. Not all of the identified strategies will be applicable, practical, or effective for all types and sizes of slaughter and processing establishments. Additional strategies not included here may also be useful. The user should implement countermeasures appropriate to the specific circumstances of their establishment and operations.

Lookup Tool
The mitigation measures are organized by the category of operation and node (i.e., specific piece of equipment).

1. First, select an industry process category from the provided list, then
2. Choose from among the list of Nodes associated with that category. After selecting the node of interest,
3. Click "SELECT" to view a list of potentially applicable mitigation strategies.