Summary
Together with food safety and food fraud, food defence forms the food protection ‘umbrella’ of food safety management systems. Food defence programmes protect food from intentional contamination through the use of biological, chemical, physical or radionuclear agents which would not normally be found in that food or its processing environment. Plans for food defence focus on facility, operational, cyber and personnel security, with the goal of preventing deliberate attacks on the food supply chain by malicious, criminal or terrorist threats and activities. Originating in the United States, food defence programs are a part of Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification and are mandated in the supply chain by companies such as Kellogg’s, Kraft, Marks and Spencer and Tesco.
Introduction
Whereas food safety ensures that food is as safe as possible, so that consumers will not be harmed by accidental contamination or foodborne illness when the food is prepared and eaten according to its intended use(1), food defence is a separate area that addresses food system vulnerabilities (physical, personnel and operational security) to prevent deliberate attacks on food by malicious, criminal or terrorist threats or activities(3), with the goal of reducing the impact of any potential system attacks or disastrous events(4).
Using Good Agricultural Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), HACCP and other food safety systems, threats to food safety can often be reasonably anticipated. This is not the case with food defence as it is likely that threats will frequently be unanticipated without intelligent information(5).
The modern food supply is a system of systems that is long and sophisticated, and therefore provides numerous opportunities for deliberate contamination at production, processing, retail and foodservice stages. The swiftness, complexity and global nature of food manufacture and distribution means that foodborne illness can be difficult to: detect (leading to multi-country outbreaks); investigate (2011 outbreak, Germany – E. coli O104:H4 in fenugreek sprouts); and extremely difficult to control. Deliberately contaminated food could cause morbidity and/or morality on a global scale. A robust food defence plan can help to facilitate a rapid response if an incident occurs (6).
The food sector is also lucrative, with data from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) apportioning over £120 billion national Gross Value Added (in 2018), 4.1 million people being employed (in 2019) in the food sector, and customer expenditure (in 2019) being £234 billion on food, drink and catering (7). As such, targeting the food chain has health, societal, psychological, economic and political significance.
The aim of a food defence plan is to prevent an incident or attack. If an incident does take place, to be able to respond rapidly and efficiently and to enable rapid recovery and restore consumer confidence in the supply chain. It focuses on layers of defence including the site perimeter, buildings and the processes designed to prevent food contamination.
Background
In 2002, World Health Organization (WHO) said that ‘the malicious contamination of food for terrorist purposes is a real and current threat, and deliberate contamination of food at one location could have global public health implications’ (6). The same year, the World Health Assembly also expressed concerns about threats to the general population by the intentional use of agents in food (8). In the Elliott Review (9) into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks, Professor Elliot states that ‘food crime is an emerging issue for all of Europe’, although it is not possible to know whether this is due to individuals, groups or organised criminal gangs. In 2004, former American Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, said ‘for the life of me, I cannot understand why terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do’.
Of all industrial or infrastructure-related activities, the food supply is the most complicated system in the world. It is a fairly easy target and with a potentially high number of people that would be impacted, with those foods that have a uniform distribution, short shelf life (rapid distribution and consumption by consumers), reach key populations or are made in large batches, being particularly vulnerable to intentional contamination. Modern bioterrorism attacks on the food chain could be conducted for personal or business extortion, financial gain through counterfeiting, political influence, corporate sabotage or destruction of a brand or company image, and/or destruction of an economic sector. Materials reportedly discovered in Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan showed that the group had knowledge and potential to be able to contaminate the food supply (10) and a cell of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, in Indonesia, plotted a suicide attack utilising abrin(11) (a natural poison extracted from the seeds of the rosary pea) – which could also be used to contaminate food. However, there have been few terrorist attacks on food reported to date (12) and given the history of incidents it is more likely that a threat to an organisation will come from an ‘insider’.
Deliberate contamination of food products can have public health consequences (on the population and resources available to deliver healthcare), widespread public fear, economic impacts for food manufactures and countries (foodborne illness is very costly), disruption of trade, a loss of confidence in the safety of food by consumers and a loss of confidence in the government. Intentional adulteration of food can be difficult to anticipate and prevent, plus is designed to evade detection. Contaminants may often be unconventional.
Source: ifst
