"Farm to Fork" is the catchphrase repeated throughout the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security and EU documents on the issue of securing
the food supply against intentional contamination. How safe is the food supply?
by Cecil E. Maranville
What would you think of the
following headlines in the United States? "More Than 75 Million People Struck
Seriously Ill From Contaminated Food!" "More Than 325,000 Hospitalized!" "5,000
Dead From Foodborne Illness!" "Economic Impact, Including Pain and Suffering,
Reduced Productivity and Medical Expenses Is $10-83 billion!"
Would you think that a major
terrorist attack had taken place? These statistics aren't hypothetical; they
are real. The data comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and it represents what actually happens in the United States annually, due to illnesses that come just from mishandling
of food.
With such inherent problems,
how vulnerable is America to deliberate contamination of the food supply?
You may recall the startling comment that Health and Human Services Secretary
Tommy Thompson made in his resignation speech last year: "For the life of
me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply,
because it is so easy to do."
As Asia learned from the
bird flu scare, just the rumor of a problem can cause catastrophic losses
to the economy.
George V. Hulme reported
in Information Week magazine:
"Al-Qaida training materials emphasize treating food-processing operations
and attacking crops and livestock" ("Food Chain's Fear Factor," May 23, 2005).
Government officials are concerned with contamination by such ailments as
foot-and-mouth disease, the avian influenza, as well as the introduction of
biotoxins.
U.S. authorities initially
quashed, but later released a Stanford University report that criticized the
Food and Drug Administration for being lax about restrictions on the food
and drink industry. The report concluded that only 10 grams of botulinum toxin
released into central milk storage tanks would be enough to poison nearly
500,000 people.
