What Is Food Defense?

Why Be Concerned
o Intentional contamination has happened and can happen again.
o Oranges with mercury Israel, 1978
o Salad bars with Salmonella Oregon, 1984
o Cookies with needles, St. Louis, 1984
o Fast food with rat poison, China, 2002
o Ground beef with nicotine Michigan, 2003

Who Would Do This?

o Terrorists or Activists
o Competitors
o Disgruntled employees

Why?
o Anger over national, business, or personal
differences

o Seeking changes in culture

o Seeking economic disruption
o Seeking harm to others

ImagineWhat If?
oPeople are ill, injured, or even dying.
oYour company name and product are involved.
oA recall is initiated.
oProduction is haltedjobs lost.
oFinancial losses occur

You are asked, What did you do to

prevent this?

Food defense measures

o Outside Security Measures
o Inside Security Measures
o Personnel Security Measures
o Incident Response Security Measures

Outside Security Measures

GOAL
To prevent unauthorized access by
people, or entry of unapproved materials
to the facility.

Outside Security MeasuresPhysical security

oPlant boundaries are clear and secured to prevent unauthorized entry
oEntrances are secured
oPlant perimeter is periodically monitored for suspicious activity
oOutside lighting is present to deter unauthorized activities
oOther access points such as windows and vents are secured
oOutside storage on the premises is protected from unauthorized access

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oEnsure proper lighting to monitor the establishment outdoors at

night and early morning.

oInstall self-locking doors and/or alarms on emergency exits.
oEnsure the following are secured with locks, seals, or sensors when
unattended (after hours/weekends) to prevent unauthorized entry:
Outside doors and gates
Windows
Roof openings
Vent openings
Loading ports
oRegularly conduct and document security inspections of storage
facilities, including temporary storage vehicles.

oRestrict outdoor access to water wells/sources.

Outside Security Measures Shipping/Receiving Security

oIncoming shipments are examined for potential tampering
oIncoming and outgoing vehicles are examined for suspicious activity
oLoading and unloading activities are scheduled and/or monitored
oLoading dock access is controlled
oIncoming shipments are secured with locks or seals
oOutgoing shipments are locked or sealed

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oClosely monitor loading and unloading of vehicles transporting raw materials,

finished products or other materials used in food processing.

oControl access to loading docks to avoid unverified or unauthorized
deliveries.
oRequire advance notification from suppliers for all deliveries.
oImmediately investigate suspicious changes in shipping documents.
oHold unscheduled deliveries outside establishment premises pending
verification.
oIf off-hour delivery is accepted, require prior notice of the delivery and an
authorized person to be present to verify and receive the delivery.
oCheck partial load shipments for content and condition.
oRequire incoming shipments of ingredients and finished products to be sealed
with tamper-evident seal and verify the seals prior to entry.
oExamine returned goods at a separate location for evidence of tampering
oMaintain records of disposition of returned goods.
oRequire drivers or delivery personnel to provide identification,
oMinimize the time a truck is unlocked during loading or delivery.

Inside Security Measures

GOAL
To protect product from intentional
contamination throughout the production
process.

Inside Security Measures - General

Inside Security
oSuspicious packages are reported to appropriate personnel
oRestricted areas of the establishment are clearly identified
oPreviously unattended materials are checked before use
oUnexpected changes in inventory (product or equipment) are reported
to appropriate personnel

oEmergency lighting is in place

oAn emergency alert system is identifiable, tested, and reviewed with
emergency contacts

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oInstall and monitor security cameras.
oIncrease visibility within the establishment (for e.g.,
improve lighting, openness, increase supervision, add
cameras).

oRegularly take inventory of keys to secured /sensitive

areas of the establishment.

Inside Security Measures Processing Area Security

oAccess to ingredients and packaged product is
restricted

oAccess to process control equipment is restricted

oIngredients are examined for possible tampering
oRecords ensure traceability

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oMaintain records to allow efficient trace backward or
forward of materials and finished product.

oReduce the time an area is left unmonitored.

oReduce access to product containers or processing
equipment.

oDo not allow unnecessary personal items within the

production area.

Inside Security Measures - Storage

Security
oAccess to storage areas is restricted
oStock rotation (first in, first out) is practiced
oLabels and packaging materials are controlled to
prevent theft and misuse

oPeriodic examinations for tampering of materials in

storage are performed

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oMaintain an access log for product and ingredient
storage areas.

oRegularly check the inventory of finished products for

unexplained additions and withdrawals from existing
stock.

oRestrict access to external storage facilities to

designated employees only.

Inside Security Measures

-Ingredients/Water/Ice Security
oRestrict access to storage tanks for potable water and
to water reuse systems.

oAccess to lines that transfer water or ingredients are

examined and restricted

oRestricted ingredients are controlled

oSupplier food safety/security information is requested

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oExamine packages of ingredients before use for evidence
of tampering.

oRestrict access to product, ingredient, and packaging

storage areas to designated employees only

oWater is from a controlled source

oInspect water lines for possible tampering (perform

visual inspection for integrity of infrastructure, proper

connections)

Inside Security Measures

-Chemical/Hazardous Material
Control Security
oChemicals/hazardous materials are in a restricted area
or secured by a lock

oMaintain an up-to-date inventory of hazardous

materials and chemicals, and investigate discrepancies.

oPotentially hazardous waste is controlled and disposed

of properly

Possible Measures
for Food Defense

oRestrict access to the in-plant laboratory.

oHave procedures in place to control receipt of samples.
oHave a procedure in place to receive, securely store,
and dispose of reagents

Inside Security Measures Information Security

oAccess to sensitive information such as site plans and
processing details is controlled

oAccess to computer systems is protected through

firewalls and/or passwords

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oTrack customer complaints/comments for trends.
oKeep details of food defense procedures confidential
as necessary.

oHave up-to-date establishment layout for local law

enforcement if needed.

Personnel Security Measures

GOAL
To ensure that only authorized personnel
are in the facility at any time

Personnel Security Measures Employee Security

oA method to recognize or identify employees in the
facility is in place

oBackground or reference checks are conducted for

new hires

oEmployees have restrictions on what they can bring in

or take from the facility

Personnel Security Measures Non-employee Security

oLog of non-employees entering the establishment is maintained
oA method to recognize or identify non-employees in the
establishment is in place

oNon-employees are accompanied on-site

oNon-employees are restricted to appropriate areas
oNon-employees have restrictions on what they can bring in or take
from the facility

Personnel Security Measures Security Training

oAwareness training on security measures is provided to
new employees

oRefresher awareness training on security measures is

offered to employees on a periodic basis

oEmployees are trained to report suspicious activities

or unusual observations

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oAuthorize appropriate employees to stop a process for significant
concerns.

oControl access by employees and non-employees entering the

establishment during working and non-working hours

oRestrict temporary employees and non-employees to areas relevant to

their work.

oImplement system to identify personnel

oProhibit employees from removing company-provided uniforms from the
premises.

oMaintain an updated shift roster for each shift.

Incident Response Security

Measures
GOAL
To respond quickly to a product
contamination threat or event using
planned measures

Incident Response Security

Measures - Investigating Security
Concerns

oHave procedures to ensure that potentially harmful products are held.

oCustomer comments are investigated
oReporting unusual activities is encouraged
oInformation is available to employees on how to respond to phone or
other threats

oEmployees have the ability to stop activities to minimize a potential

food defense incident

oReported security breaches (for example, alarms, suspicion of

tampering) are investigated

Incident Response Security

Measures - Emergency Contact
Security
oPlant personnel contact information is kept up
to date

oEmergency contact lists are kept up to date

Incident Response Security

Measures - Other Plan Security
oA product recall plan is maintained and
periodically reviewed

oKey personnel are trained in product

recall/withdraw procedures

Possible Measures
for Food Defense
oEstablish evacuation procedures and include in food
defense plan.

oEstablish procedures for responding to threats as well

as actual product contamination events.

oPre-establish communication with local and state

incident response personnel for a more efficient
response.