Security professionals in the US food industry are gearing up for terror attacks by employing security methods applicable in the UK
Since the September 11 suicide attacks in New York there has been much written and spoken about other potential targets for terrorist activity. For one, security professionals in the US food industry have realised the ease with which food could be contaminated to devastating effect – particularly in the wake of recent mail attacks involving anthrax, writes Corinne Hitching.

While weapons of mass destruction may pose the greatest danger, a simpler and more likely form of attack involves limited or individual use of pathogens developed specially for biological warfare purposes, as well as common bacterial food-borne or zoonotic agents (such as anthrax, plague and rabbit fever – all transmittable to humans).

In an attempt to counter such threats, US security chiefs have ratified a number of proposed regulations that seek to protect food. In particular, the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act 2002 (which sets out new rules for the registration of all importers of food or food products, many of which we could borrow here in the UK).

The Act requires registration of all food producers, manufacturers, packers or holders which would include warehouses and holding facilities such as silos, cold storage areas and tanks. The Act also requires that companies must register between 12 October and 12 December 2003, even if final regulations have not yet been issued. Failure to register would mean that imported food will be moved to a secure location.

Registration requires companies to declare such information as the quantity (described from smallest package to largest container), the manufacturer, all growers (if known) and the country from which each article originates (where grown or harvested for fresh foods and where processed for processed foods).

Dr Barbara Rasco PhD, a leading expert on food laws from Washington State University, told SMT: "Most organisations, whether in the US or the UK, are ill-prepared to deal with tampering incidents, let alone the other manifestations of bioterrorism. The focus should be on analysing an organisation's risk before an incident occurs, using Best Practice to avoid a tampering or contamination event."

Specifically, security managers should:

  • develop a flow chart for product and operation;
  • determine whether significant food security hazards exist, and then evaluate the likelihood of each risk;
  • determine the points in the operation that are critical for managing a specific risk;
  • develop possible control or preventative measures;
  • establish critical limits that are not to be violated;
  • develop a monitoring process for each critical point;
  • keep confidential records and supporting data.

Source

SMT