Risk Of Contamination Rises As Global Food System Expands*

Marc Ostfield noted challenges of an international, safe food supply,
which he called a "soft target for terrorists." In recent meetings with
worldwide governments "We've been using food defense as a way to open
the door to talk about bioterrorism," he said.

Chicago IL (SPX) Aug 07, 2007

As they work to protect the nation's food supply from accidental
contamination and intentional threats, food industry and homeland
security experts alike are feeling the weight of the world. "You can't
buy a hamburger without touching the global system," said Col. John T.
Hoffman, a senior research fellow with the National Center for Food
Protection and Defense, in Minneapolis.

Speaking yesterday at the Institute of Food Technologists Global Food
Safety and Quality conference, Hoffman said that the food industry is
becoming an increasingly complex global network of supply chains, and
the need to collaborate with public and private trade partners has never
been more pressing.

"We have to be able to do this in a way that facilitates trade, protects
our trading partners, and reduces the risk to ourselves and our
partners, because the food industry is becoming a fully global system,"
he urged.

Businesses have an increasing array of risk assessment tools that can
help, including the new CARVER+Shock system that assesses companies'
vulnerabilities. While such programs offer businesses an essential
indicator, Hoffman says the government is pushing for a system that's
more efficient in making data accessible on a broader scale.

Hoffman noted that a significant action receiving little public notice
is the Presidential Executive Order of the Safety of Imports, which
prompted interagency review of import safety issues.

"This was an important development," Hoffman said. "It asks agencies
ranging from the USDA, FDA and Department of Homeland Security to the
Commerce Department and Consumer Safety Product Commission to look at
our authority and see what we should be doing to improve import safety."

"We need to ask how we can partner with the private sector and foreign
governments reciprocally to improve how we protect each other," Hoffman
said.

The recent pet food contamination involving melamine was a tremendous
wake-up call regarding potential risks, and dealing outside the
regulations of our own borders-especially with a major trading force
like China, Hoffman commented.

"This really was an unsophisticated case of some suppliers in China
trying to save some money with a new ingredient, but the fallout was
significant," Hoffman said.

Imports from China to the U.S. have increased significantly in the past
four years, but the U.S. did not maintain that same pace in its
preparation for increased risk, Hoffman said.

Specific areas of security that need heightened focus include
surveillance and supply chain verification and validation, an effort
that Hoffman urges businesses to initiate.

"(Supply chain verification) is something that is just as important as
anything the government can do. This action alone may have prevented the
whole melamine situation."

related report

International Food Supply a Soft Target for Terrorists Chicago IL (SPX)
Aug 07 - When contaminated spinach was pulled from store shelves in
2006, the effects were felt across the table and around the world. Three
people died and over 200 others fell sick across 26 states.

Across borders and oceans, the Japanese yen and Europe's euro jittered
in relation to the U.S. dollar as costs related to the outbreak of
foodborne illness mounted to $74 million.

"The global food supply is interconnected," said Marc Ostfield, senior
advisor for bioterrorism, biodefense and health security at the U.S.
Department of State. Ostfield addressed the Institute of Food
Technologists Global Food Safety and Quality Conference here today.

Ostfield noted challenges of an international, safe food supply, which
he called a "soft target for terrorists." In recent meetings with
worldwide governments "We've been using food defense as a way to open
the door to talk about bioterrorism," he said.

Improving food-supply protection gives all governments "a mandate to
move forward," he added.

Ostfeld noted progress in 2004 to mandate food-supply protection among
the wealthy G8 nations. In 2005, G8 countries were introduced to the
latest U.S. techniques for assessing company's vulnerability to
intentional contamination, a system called CARVER + Shock.

Building international dialogue accounts for one goal in
counter-bioterrorism efforts, as does involving industry in decisions.
"(Industry's) buy-in, leadership and partnership are crucial to
hardening the soft targets."

A bigger challenge is balancing trade with food safety concerns. "How
does enhanced food defense not interfere with growing economies? How can
we make them complementary and not contradictory?" he asked.

Sharing information across borders is high on his list to improve food
defense, as is strengthening communication between government, private
industry and all sectors of U.S. systems. "How can we engage trade,
transportation, environment, industry and agriculture to better achieve
cross-border communication?"

International food-defense cooperation efforts are bearing fruit, he said.

"We are starting to see the private sector-at least the very largest
multi-national firms-begin to incorporate food defense practices around
the globe."