Mission possible

In a November 2001 Newsweek poll, 58 percent of respondents answered that threats to the food supply were their greatest terrorist fear. Those consumer fears may have subsided, but the threat is still there. Just this past year special emphasis was placed on protecting the food supply as authorities investigated a suspected plot to poison food for British troops during the war in Iraq.

Food is our most critical infrastructure—a $3 trillion industry encompassing over 2 million farms, 63,000 processing plants and facilities, and more than 1 million retail and foodservice establishments. The sector also accounts for 22 percent of all jobs.

Traditionally government and industry have focused on the food safety mission, protecting the food supply from contamination, intentional or otherwise. However, the evolving food security mission, while fully integrated with food safety, represents a newer, more complex world. For example, a recent survey by the Food Institute found 50 percent of food industry professionals were not aware of U.S. Food and Drug Administration registration requirements for their manufacturing and distribution facilities as mandated by the Bioterrorism Act. The survey found another 21 percent of respondents knew of the requirements but did not make plans to comply. These numbers are indicative of the uncertainty associated with the nation's dynamic food security mission.

Food security issues are different from the food safety issues that government and industry have historically faced. They include direct attacks against the infrastructure itself, such as strikes on food production facilities, or the threat of rapidly transmitted "zoonotic" diseases between animals and humans, as we recently saw with West Nile virus and SARS, with the potential for significant public health ramifications.

Infrastructure protection

Food security also must take a look at supporting infrastructures, including transportation, public utilities, and energy. For example, although food security and safety systems are in place to protect the production of food, shipments of food to stores may be vulnerable. Additionally, a denial of service along our rail or trucking networks could have a profound impact on the ability both to produce food and to ensure its delivery.

Supermarkets must also take steps to make sure their premises are safe. A food security plan identifying vulnerabilities in an establishment's system control points can mitigate the effects of tampering or other events. For example, shortly after 9/11 there was a series of anthrax-related illnesses and deaths. In the aftermath of those cases, many grocery stores closed because of customer reports of unidentified white powder. The ensuing losses of productivity and customer confidence could have been reduced if a food security plan had been in place.

Other measures include employee screening and providing special training on the detection and prevention of intentional acts of food contamination. All facilities should be secure in the receiving and shipping areas. For example, in many stores the restrooms are located in areas where customers could access dry and refrigerated food stocks. Such access should be restricted, or facilities could use a positive identification system.

The entire food production network is complex and becoming increasingly more so as the result of industry trends, including globalization. The capabilities to protect food and agriculture infrastructures, however, do not reside within the authority of any single agency, department, or private-sector enterprise. To detect, anticipate, mitigate, respond to, and recover from an attack on the food supply or agriculture infrastructure requires a national shared mission.

Crucial to making this happen are public/private partnerships, where public agencies and private industry—including supermarkets and their associations—share their skills, expertise, and assets to meet the food security mission. Activities that can be undertaken in the immediate future, at manageable cost, to achieve this include establishing industry/government agreements for coordination, cooperation, and information sharing; determining appropriate security best practices; and conducting public outreach and awareness initiatives.

However, an accurate assessment of food supply threats, vulnerabilities, and appropriate security measures may remain elusive until the relevant government, industry, and academic entities with food safety and security responsibilities forge a community mindset and build enduring partnerships. This shared community of interest must become a reality through the partnerships of regulators, industry, and consumers if we are to ensure and maintain the safest food supply in the world.

Chris Kelly, a v.p. at McLean, Va.-based Booz Allen Hamilton in the Global Assurance Practice, focuses on critical infrastructure protection and developing public/private partnerships within industry communities.

Jesse Majkowski, an associate with Booz Allen Hamilton, is the former USDA assistant administrator for Food Security and Emergency Preparedness.