With the globalizaiton of the workd economics, to protect food supplying channels from being utilized for evil actions is more and more awared. This involves in series of actions and preparations and cooperation of various sectors in the industry to put it to effective effort.

What It Means

Firstly the meaning of food security. At least we can see following definitions for this term:

1. Food Security means food resource available to all people, and this is defined as “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” (The Special Program for Food Security, FAO)- http://www.fao.org/spfs/. Further reference on this meaning, please read the Rome Declaration on World Food Security (a World Food Summit held 13-17 Nov., 1996 in Rome). In similar meaning, the World Health Organization defines it as “The implication that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to enough food for an active, healthy life.”

2. The meaning of food Security is however extended further than the above definition, and this meaning is explained in FDA training materials about food security awareness. “In 2004, the concept of food security not only reflects concerns about hunger but also has expanded to include international concerns about intentional attacks against the food supply.”

It is also necessary to know the difference of food safety and food security, in that the first term refers to unintentional contamination of foods while in the second term it means the intentional act of tampering or contamination of foods.

Food security is more and more important after the event of September 11, 2001. This event also leads to the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act), which President Bush signed into law June 12, 2002.

The meaning described in 2 becomes more and more important today, as after the event of Sept 11 2001. Terrorism can make use of food distribution channels as means for evil, malicious actions and it’s difficult to know how far such action can affect to public in general.

Bioterrorism Act (2002)

The core of this act is given in five parts (titles):
Title 1: the national preparedness and awareness of the bioterrorism and other public emergency
Title 2: Enhancing Controls on Dangerous Biological Agents and Toxins
Title 3: Protecting Safety and Security of Food and Drug Supply
Title 4: Drinking Water Security and Safety
Title 5: Additional Provisions

Of these title, Title 3: Protecting Safety and Security of Food and Drug Supply address directly to foods, and partly of this title is under responsibility of FDA.

This title consist of 2 subtitle: Subtitle A and Subtitle B.

SUBTITLE A: Consist of Section 301, 302, 303, 305, 306, 307, 308. Of these sections, the most important ones to a food processor is 303 (Detention), 305 (Registration of food processing facilities), 306 (Record Maintenance) and Section 307: (Prior Notice [of imported foods to the US]).

Security Measures to Particular Packer
Each packer has its own characteristics so there is not a common pattern of security measures applied to all. Each manufacturer has to consider the threats or the vulnerability it may have through an assessment and set up security measures to control them. A general guide is mapped out by FDA which is useful for a facility to consider when set up the security measures for his firm can be read at this link:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/secguid6.html
To sum up, the 5 sections of this guide are:
Section 1: management. Each food procesing facility must be prepared for the possibility of tampering or other malicious, criminal, or terrorist actions.

Section 2: Human element- staffs
Facility should verify the eligibility of all of its staffs. The following procedures are recommended to apply:
- Screening (pre-hiring, at-hiring and post-hiring)
- Daily work assignment: facility operator should know who is and who are on premise and where they should be located
- Identification of employees and visitors to facility
- Restricted access to critical areas
- Personal items control
- Training in food security procedures so that employee know and expect what should be done
- Unusual behavior so that timely action can be done when neccessary
- Staff health

Section 3: Human element- public
Visitors: Facility should have a policy to control visitors (for example for example, contractors, supplier representatives, delivery drivers, customers, couriers, pest control representatives, third-party auditors, regulators, reporters, tours..). These includes the inspecting the incoming and outgoing vehicles, packages, briefcases for suspicious, inappropriate and unusual items, restrict access to food handling and food storages etc..

Section 4: Facility
Physical security facility must have fence to control accessing of all staffs and visitors all the time. Door must be locked or have guards 24/24,

Laboratory safety
Storage and use of poisonous and toxic chemicals (for example, cleaning and sanitizing agents, pesticides)

Seciton 5: Operations
Incoming material and contract operations source of materials must be clearly defined and approved, ensure that supplier of materials must have appropriate security measures, check label of incoming materials, transported products must be safely locked, delivery on schedule, loading and unloading must always be supervised, check shipping documents carefully for any evidence of change, discrepancy..

Storage system for receiving, storing and handling distressed, damaged, returned, and rework products that minimizes their potential for being compromised or to compromise the security of other products. Keep track of incoming materials, components, investigate the missing or extra stock, storage of label properly

Security of water and utilities Limit the access of water source, eletricity control panel, airflow, refrigeration, secure of water wells, back-flow preventing, alternative source in emergency case, testing water regularly and randomly

Finished products: ensure that public storage warehousing and shipping operations must have appropriate secutiry measures, inspect the storage facilities, vehicles, vessels, testing the finished products for detecting tampering other malicious intentional actions, investigate missing or extra stock

Mail/ packages: The facility must be aware of the risk and threat may come from mail package, security measures must be set out to prevent such case when it happened. Closely follow the guidance of the postal service.

Access to computer system: Computer system should be protected so that only the authorized person can access computer system. If a person is no longer associated with the establishment he must be eliminted the right to access the system. Check the effectivness of the virus preventing program, and ensure to back up data on regular basis so that in the worst case when the computer is out of order no data is lost. The computer must be password protected.

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