Defending the food supply
Renown security expert describes vulnerabilities, defense strategies for America's food supply chain
May 29, 2007Contact Information:
Dr. Seve Seideman, Department of Food Science
479-575-4221 / seideman@uark.edu
By Dave Edmark, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
479-575-5647 / dedmark@uark.edu
Rod Wheeler, a food defense specialist for AIB International, speaks about vulnerability assessment in the food industry. He spoke during an advanced food defense workshop sponsored by the University of Arkansas department of food science and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- When Rod Wheeler looks around food processing facilities to assess their security, he might find a small problem or two: an open door, a lax procedure on granting entry. Those problems would be enough to do significant damage for a determined terrorist or disgruntled person.
Whether food is deliberately contaminated on the farm, at the processing plant, at a distribution center, at a retail outlet or in the home, the outcome stands to be the same. "Anywhere in the food chain: if we're vulnerable, we're vulnerable everywhere," Wheeler said.
Wheeler performs "vulnerability assessments" for the food industry as part of his job as food defense specialist with the American Institute of Baking. He helps food companies develop and implement food safety and security plans.
He was a featured speaker during an advanced food protection workshop May 23-24, cosponsored by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Wheeler recalled in 2004 that Tommy Thompson, then the secretary of health and human services, said he was surprised that there had not been a terrorist attack on the food supply because of the relative ease with which it could be done. That statement was accurate then, Wheeler said, but improvements across the industry since then made the food supply less vulnerable.
Potential aggressors include criminals, terrorists, disgruntled employees and people who want to protest a company. The points of entry are numerous.
"Bioterrorism attacks could be directed at many targets in the farm-to-fork continuum," according to a 2003 Government Accounting Office report that Wheeler cited. During the "life" of a McDonald's Big Mac, there are 250 points at which it could be contaminated deliberately, Wheeler said.
Access by non-employees to the facilities is a major factor in potential sabotage. Wheeler recounted that a plant he visited on assignment gave him a visitor's badge without requesting identification. In one plant he could walk around at will where raw ingredients were being mixed into products.
"The front-line employee is better than any camera system," Wheeler said.
Wheeler warned food businesses to have a written plan in place that sets out what they should do if the government announced an elevated terrorism alert. He cited other security steps that businesses can take:
Companies should establish a food security/crisis management team that follows a crisis incident food defense plan,
Develop procedures for investigating a food tampering incident,
Use risk and vulnerability assessments in plants. "What are your weaknesses?" Wheeler asked. "What about inappropriate design? Are you vulnerable there? Inadequate equipment or deficient security procedures?"
Establish real relationships with local first responders,
Evaluate policies regarding the screening of personnel by outside contractors.