Assessing the Vulnerabilities of Your Farm or Food business

Step one in developing a food defense plan

The Farm-to-Table Food Supply Chain is

VulnerableProduction AgricultureFood ProcessingRetail Food Sales

Is Food Defense Different than Food

Safety? Food Defense focuses on

protecting the food supply from intentional contamination.

Food Safety (HACCP) and Biosecurity focus on protecting the food supply from unintentional contamination. They help with, but are not a substitute for food defense.

Who Might Intentionally Contaminate a Food/Animal

Facility?Disgruntled employee/former

employeeContract or temporary employeeMembers of extremist groupsTruck driverAffiliate of a competing facilityVisitor to facility

Potential ContaminantsBiological Agents: Injure by causing

disease, or producing toxin.

Chemical Agents: Injure through toxicity to biological systems, or chemical burns to tissue.

Radiological Agents: Injure externally (radiation burns) or internally (organ damage).

What Makes an Attractive Agent of Intentional

Contamination Incubation period/delayed effect Highly effective History of use Available (easily produced in

adequate quantity) Low traceability

Consider how a chemical might be “delivered” as an intentional contaminant: Directly added during production

process Added to ingredients at the supplier

level Indirect addition during the

production process(ex. Cleaning supplies or pesticides, packaging materials)

Transmission of Chemicals

Consider how a disease might be “delivered” as an intentional contaminant: Aerosol (airborn) Directs contact (including reproductive) Fomite (contaminated object) Oral (feed or water) Vector-borne (insect transmission) Zoonotic (transmission between humans and

animals)

Transmission of Disease in Livestock

Consider how a microbiological agent might be “delivered” as an intentional contaminant: Directly added to finished product Indirect addition to environment or

finished product (ex. Listeria)

Transmission of Pathogens in Food

Government Guides

USDA – Pre-harvest Security Guide USDA/Food Safety and Inspection

Service – Developing a Food Defense Plan for Meat and Poultry Slaughter and Processing Plants

Food and Drug Administration – Guidance for Industry, Food Producers, Processers, and Transporters: Food Security Preventative Measures Guidance

Nine Questions to Assess Vulnerability

1. Is your outside perimeter secure?2. Is access within your operation

limited?3. Are your processes secure?4. Is your shipping and receiving

secure?

Nine Questions to Assess Vulnerability (continued)

5. Do you have an inventory system for stored materials?

6. Is access to your water supply limited?

7. Is mail opened away from sensitive areas?

8. Do you have screening and training procedures for your workforce?

9. Is access to sensitive areas limited?