DEFENDING THE FOOD SUPPLY

摘要

How can the safety of the food supply be defended to prevent a terrorist attack? What research must be done to prevent, respond, and recover from an attack? These were among the topics addressed in the Institute of Food Technologists' fourth Research Summit, held on April 3-5, 2005, in Chicago, 111. Research activity on food defense has escalated significantly as a result of Homeland Security Presidential Directive/ HSPD-9, put forward by President George Bush in January 2004, The directive (www. whitehouse.govews/releases/2004/02/2 0040203-2.html) was designed to establish a national policy to defend the United States agriculture and food system against terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. It calls for the identification, prevention, and mitigation of critical vulnerabilities in the food supply and for the establishment of university-based centers of excellence in agriculture and food security, such as the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD), located at the University of Minnesota.