 Symposium
looks at post 9-11 food security issues (Oct. 2002).
Lack of resources, restricted flow of information spotted
as problems
The Texas State Food Safety Task Force chose the evocative
date of September 11th, 2002, to host their statewide Food
Safety and Security Symposium. It covered a wide range of
topics centered on threats to food safety and security. The
Texas Department of Health co-sponsored the symposium, attended
by state, federal and local health officials, as well as food
industry professionals and consumer representatives.
Reggie James, director of the Southwest Regional Office of
Consumers Union, served as moderator for a four-hour panel
discussion of food security issues for retailers, processors,
wholesalers and regulators. Panelists discussed terroristic
threats to the food supply and actions being taken to make
our food more secure.
Several panelists described the recently enacted Public Health
Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of
2002. Section III of the Act, which was signed into law on
June 12, 2002, addresses enhancements that protect U.S. food
and drug supplies. Key provisions of section III of the Act
provide for:
- "Registration of certain food facilities handling imported
food"
- Requirements for maintaining records to enable tracing
food supplies"
- Prior notice of imported food shipments"
- Administrative detention of food that may pose a threat
to humans or animals"
- Funding for state and local regulatory programs.
Some panelists were careful to draw a distinction between
the terms food safety and food security. Industry participants
and some regulators used the term safety when referring to
natural contaminants and reserved the term security for contamination
resulting from intentional or terroristic acts. Other regulators
and consumer participants held the distinction was less important,
given that many of the precautionary measures to make the
food supply safer would reduce vulnerability to both intentional
and natural hazards.
James said he was comforted by many of the actions being
taken by government and industry to protect the food supply
but also concerned about some of the other things he heard.
"Based on audience response, I learned that many of the front
line regulators at the local level were not receiving additional
resources to fund new responsibilities and were not getting
enough information and training to fulfill their responsibilities."
"I'm also concerned about the extent to which not just public
information but information between regulators has been restricted,"
James added. One example included inspector reports that were
classified to the extent that not even the inspector could
not see reports he had written.
"The combination of classified regulatory documents and security
clearances could result in a dangerous hindrance to the free
flow of information necessary for multiple agencies at the
local, state, and federal level to operate," he said.
For more information about homeland security and food safety:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/topics/biosecurity.htm
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsterr.html
For more information about natural threats to the food supply:
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/outbreak_report.pdf
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