FOOD CHAIN SECURITY In July 2005, the US Agriculture


Department issued new voluntary guidelines for meatpackers, shippers and retailers. Companies were asked to check for vulnerabilities in the transportation process where terrorists could potentially contaminate food. The Department also issued a range of procedural guidelines outlining new duties for drivers and including requirements for processors to verify the security programmes of shipping companies.


“An ‘agroterrorist’... attack...could cost the farming industry


billions” In 2003, the Australian government


formed the Trusted Information Sharing Network (TISN), as part of the country’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience Strategy. Part of the TISN is the Food and Grocery Sector Group. The Group developed the National Food Chain Security Strategy to address vulnerabilities that could lead to deliberate contamination. The strategy recognises that the food supply chain is potentially vulnerable and acknowledges that it is neither possible nor economically feasible to attempt to deal with every risk. However, it states that there is a need to be ever mindful of new and emerging risks and it recognises the need to encourage an awareness of these risks and the need to sustain a culture of security awareness across all sectors of the industry. In June this year, the UK media reported


that the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) had warned food manufacturers and retailers that their industry was vulnerable to attacks by terrorists and extremists intent on causing casualties and disruption by poisoning the food chain. The CPNI has asked the food production and retail industry to increase security at depots and plants and to check for vulnerabilities in the supply chain. Food has been deliberately contaminated before, from criminals in extortion attempts and from individuals with a particular issue with a company or government, but, as the CPNI has said, these incidents have been rare. The


6 CounterTerrorGazette WWW.ELECTRONICBORDERS.COM CT-GAZETTE.COM


most recent threat to hit the UK came from Brian Roach, a South African farmer who in 2010 / early 2011 threatened to unleash foot-and-mouth disease on the UK’s farming industry, claiming he had the expertise to do so. Roach blamed the UK for the plight of neighbouring white Zimbabwean farmers under Robert Mugabe. South African police worked with UK and US counter-terrorism teams to monitor his activities and arrest him. Roach was jailed for five years in June. An ‘agroterrorist’ (agricultural terrorism) attack such as a deliberate foot-and- mouth infection of livestock could cost the farming industry billions of pounds or dollars. The UK’s 2001 (unintentional) epidemic cost an estimated £8 billion. The CPNI report warns that terrorists


could contaminate prepared food or drink with chemicals, radioactive material or bacteria, such as E.Coli, or could target ingredients used in many food products, thus causing wide contamination. The report also stated that the security of imported produce was harder to guarantee than that of home-grown. Farms were highlighted as being at particular risk, as many employ foreign workers, and adequate references may not be followed-up for such individuals. The CPNI recommends businesses undertake comprehensive checks on new employees and visiting contractors. It also states that plants and depots should have security controls


and that no unscheduled deliveries should be accepted. The Food Industry Security Assurance


Scheme (FISAS), developed by UK food certification company, the PAI Group, provides a model for the industry to adopt measures to protect their operations from acts of deliberate contamination. Companies certified to the FIFAS standard have to demonstrate they have rigorous security controls in place at each stage of their operations, with an annual assessment to ensure the standards continue to be met. The model incorporates both management controls and risk assessment. The security risk assessment should include physical security, company personnel, incoming materials and internal processes.


Conclusion Securing the food chain is a complex task, but fortunately there have been few cases of bioterrorism against it, and no specific, credible terrorist threats in recent years despite the heightened overall terrorist threat. Many countries have, however, issued guidelines and recommendations to the food industry on how to prevent deliberate wide-scale contamination at all levels of the food production process. Common recommendations are increased physical security and surveillance, access control, certification of plants, shippers and warehouses, and background checks on employees.


All stages of the food production and supply chain are vulnerable, but contamination at the manufacturing stage could lead to wide-spread poisoning.


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