Food defense is way beyond food safety. Search the FDA’s mitigation strategies database for ideas how to improve security around a blend tank, pasteurizer or other equipment.
For the last 10 years, I have been working closely with federal and state government officials on the prevention of intentional contamination of food, or what is known in our government as food defense.
While intentional criminal food contamination incidents have been around for decades, they are isolated and the consequences have been minor. The work I am involved with focuses more on the potential for terrorist contamination of the food supply. This became a government concern shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 and resulted in the government facilitating the creation of the Food and Agriculture Sector under the authority of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, an entity that I have co-chaired since 2005.