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Title: Terrorism and the Defense of the Food System


1
Terrorism and the Defense of the Food System
  • Food Systems and the Environment
  • Spring 2007 Environmental Lecture Series
  • 3 April 2007
  • Amherst, Massachusetts
  • Francis (Frank) F. Busta, Director
  • National Center for
  • Food Protection and Defense
  • University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus
  • 200 Dinnaken Office Building925 Delaware Avenue
    S.E.,
  • Minneapolis, MN 55455  USAPhone (612) 624-2458
  • http//www.ncfpd.umn.edu

2
Terrorism and the Defense of the Food
SystemFrancis F. Busta, Director National
Center for Food Protection Defense,
Minneapolis, MN, USA
  • Intentional contamination of the food supply
    poses a real and potentially catastrophic threat
    to society. Overall, it has the potential to
    result in disastrous and far-reaching effects,
    including direct morbidity and/or mortality,
    disruption of food distribution, loss of consumer
    confidence in the food supply, business failures,
    trade restrictions, and ripple effects on the
    economy. Key interrelated factors specific to
    food and the food system create this unusual
    vulnerability.
  • The efficiency of the food system enables
    products derived from a wide range of global
    sources to be mass-produced in a single location
    and, due to the speed of national and global
    just-in-time supply chains, distributed rapidly.
    The food industrys routine food safety measures
    are not designed to protect against high-impact
    deliberate contamination. When contamination
    occurs, identification of its nature and extent
    may take days or even weeks. Unintentional
    foodborne illness can further complicate
    recognition of intentional contamination events.
  • The food/agriculture sectors infrastructure must
    be strengthened to mitigate potential harm
    resulting from deliberate contamination, thereby
    making the food system less vulnerable to attack.
    Initiatives include the development of specific
    countermeasures to minimize or eliminate
    vulnerabilities, as well as the development of
    practical solutions that enhance the capability
    to rapidly identify, contain, respond, and
    recover from intentional contamination, both real
    and threatened. These activities must encompass
    the entire farm-to-table food system, from
    pre-farm inputs through retail sale to
    consumption at the consumer level.

3
Overview
  • The Food System as a Target
  • Intentional contamination in the past
  • Overview of the food system complexity/vulnerabi
    lity of supply chain
  • Potential impact of food system attacks
  • Principles and perceptions
  • NCFPD Research Education Efforts

4
Current Events Context
  • Global warming
  • Avian influenza spreading rapidly
  • Pandemic human influenza concerns mounting
  • Nations capability to respond to natural
    disasters
  • Increased chatter on general terrorism threats
  • Health care crisis looming
  • Budget deficits mounting
  • Why are we worried about defense of the food
    system?

5
Food Contamination History
  • Historical military weapon (troops/civilians)
  • Athenian poisoning of Kirrha (590 B.C.)
  • WWII Japan in China/Manchuria with Bacillus
    anthracis, Shigella spp, Vibrio cholerae,
    Salmonella paratyphi, and Yersinia pestis
  • Terrorist/criminal acts in the U.S. and abroad
  • Rajneeshee cult contamination of ten salad bars
    with S. typhimurium (1984, 751 ill)
  • Lab technician poisoning of 12 co-workers with
    Shigella dysenteriae laced pastries (1996)

6
Grocery store worker accused of poisoning
beef Thursday, February 13, 2003 Posted 504 PM
EST (2204 GMT)
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan -- A former supermarket
employee was indicted on charges of poisoning
about 200 pounds of ground beef with insecticide
and sickening more than 40 people.
Italy on alert for water poisoner Italian police
have launched a search to track down a mystery
poisoner who has been injecting a soapy liquid
into plastic bottles of mineral water.
61 Students felled by rat poison in central
China Monday, September 29, 2003 Dozens of
elementary school students and teachers in Hunan
Province were hospitalized after ingesting rat
poison with their school breakfasts in an
apparent deliberate mass poisoning, state media
said Sunday.
350 Iraqi Policeman Suffer Food PoisoningOctober
11, 2006BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Authorities arrested
the head of the mess hall where at least 350
Iraqi policemen suffered food poisoning, and a
military spokesman said Monday that it was likely
the poisoning was intentional.
7
Intelligence on Food Terrorism
Terrorist groups have a lesser interest in
biological materials and are most interested in
chemicals such as cyanide salts to contaminate
food and water supplies CIA Testimony to
Congress 2002
Documents Seized in Afghanistan (Tarnak Farms)
Indicate Interest
8
Government Accountability Office
  • Recently identified the food system as a high
    risk area for homeland security in its January
    2007 report, High Risk Series An Update
    (GAO-07-310).

9
Recent Rand Report
  • In terms of modalities, one can expect to see an
    ongoing emphasis on coordinated bombingspossibly
    interspersed with the adoption of less
    conventional tactics such as radiological
    releases and the deliberate contamination of the
    food supply or agriculture.

Libicki, Chalk Sisson, 2007 Exploring
Terrorist Targeting Preferences RAND Corp.
www.rand.org pp. 71
10
Recent Rand Report
  • Attacks against the agricultural sector may pose
    the most serious threat given their ease of
    execution and potential socioeconomic fallout
    food processing and packing plants are especially
    at risk.

Libicki, Chalk Sisson, 2007 Exploring
Terrorist Targeting Preferences RAND Corp.
www.rand.org pp. 84
11
Challenges of Food Defense
  • Food supply chain the most complicated supply
    chain known
  • Globally dispersed, privately held and highly
    dynamic
  • Food a potentially desirable terrorist vehicle
  • Unintentional contamination already highlights
    the challenges

12
U.S. Global Food SystemStrength and Risk
  • Food sector a huge economic engine 1.24
    trillion/year
  • One in six jobs
  • Highly concentrated Vast transportation systems
  • Food system complexity makes contamination a real
    risk
  • 2,128,000 farms
  • 30,000 food manufacturing sites (94,000
    foreign)
  • 19,567 re-packers/packers (87,000 foreign)
  • 224,300 retail food stores
  • 565,000 food service outlets
  • Everyone eats everyone a target

13
? MillionForeign Farms
2.1 MillionU.S. Farms
30,000 U.S.Processing Sites
94,000 Foreign Processing Sites
19,000 DomesticPackers/Repackers
87,000 ForeignPackers/Repackers
224,000 RetailFood Stores
935,000 RetailFood Outlets
14
Food Agriculture Infrastructure
  • The most complicated supply chain in existence
  • Globally dispersed
  • Privately held
  • Highly integrated
  • Flexible
  • Dynamic
  • Innumerable potential points of
    disruption/contamination
  • Inherently systems based

15
Supply Chain Complexity
16
Ingredients
USDA inspected beef
bleached wheat flour mono- and diglycerides malted
barley flour diacetyl tartaric acid
esters thiamine ethanol riboflavin sorbitol
Niacin polysorbate 20 folic acid potassium
propionate reduced iron sodium stearoyl
lactylate Water corn starch corn syrup ammonium
chloride sesame seeds ammonium sulfate soybean
oil calcium peroxide Yeast ascorbic
acid Salt azodicarbonamide calcium
sulfate enzymes calcium carbonate calcium
propionate calcium silicate wheat gluten soy
flour baking soda
Milk milkfat Water cream sodium
citrate salt sodium phosphate sorbic
acid artificial color cheese culture acetic
acid soy lecithin Enzymes starch
Sauce Soybean oil pickles distilled
vinegar Water egg yolks High fructose corn
syrup Sugar onion powder corn
syrup Spice spice extractives Salt xanthan
gum mustard flour Prop. glycol alginate sodium
benzoate potassium sorbate mustard bran garlic
powder hydrolyzed proteins caramel
color Paprika Turmeric calcium disodium EDTA
Cucumbers water Vinegar Salt calcium
chloride Alum natural flavorings polysorbate
80 turmeric
Grill Seasoning Salt Pepper cottonseed
oil soybean oil
17
The Consumer Assumes A Safe and Plentiful Food
Supply

18
  Principles of Delivery  
  • The delivery of the food supply is highly
    dependent on the many facets of the food system
    and supply chain
  • No longer a simple system

19
Fresh-cut lettuce distribution chain
20
U.S. Global Food SystemStrength and Risk
Grains
Oils
Cheese
Juices
Vegetables
Bananas
Cocoa
Seafood
Processed Meat
Spices
Fresh Meat
21
Imported Foods
  • 60 billion in ag imports
  • 150,000 foreign facilities registered
  • 3 of imported food is inspected at the border
  • Borders are porous

Over 90 of green onions and 48 of cucumbers
sold in the United States were from Mexico in 2005
Mexican trucks make about 4.5 million border
crossings each year, according to US government
figures. DOT 6-24-05
22
Food System Imported Shrimp
  • Majority of shrimp for the U.S. is imported
  • International sources serve multiple regions
  • Intentional contamination overseas might or might
    not be intended for the U.S.

23
Thailand Shrimp Exports
18,409 Metric Tons/year
100,342 Metric Tons/year
24
Agriculture Attack Impacts
  • Primarily an economic threat with major
    confidence in government impact
  • Nationally distributed target with global trade
    significance
  • Local through national economic dislocations with
    rapid onset and slow recovery
  • Cascading economic, psychological sociological
    effects
  • UK and Dutch FMD outbreaks registered significant
    post-traumatic stress disorder rates

25
Food Attack Impacts
  • Both a significant public health and economic
    threat
  • Access to sufficient calories not a likely issue
    in developed nations, could be one in poorer
    nations.
  • Globally distributed target
  • Psychological impact of personal threat vector
    for delivery of agents
  • Will my cookie kill me as a Weapon of Mass
    Destruction threat

26
Consumer Perceptions
  • Consumers believe terrorism events will occur in
    the near term
  • Food attacks are the least anticipated, but
    consumers would spend the most on preventing
  • Consumers place burden on the government first,
    industry a close second, for food defense

27
  Principles Perception    
  • Systems thinking is imperative
  • Principles are fundamentally same
  • Must recognize similarities differences
  • Food Quality
  • Food Safety
  • Food Defense
  • Food Protection
  • Animal Protection
  • Crop Protection

28
  Principles Perception    
  • Symmetrical
  • vs.
  • Asymmetrical
  • Food Quality
  • Food Safety
  • Food Defense
  • Food Protection
  • Animal Protection
  • Crop Protection

29
Threats Come in Various Forms
  • Mother Nature
  • Disgruntled employees
  • Violent activist groups
  • Criminals/subversives
  • International/government supported or directed
    groups or individuals terrorists

30
Problem - Past Frame of Reference
  • Product consistency, cost, stability
  • Free of pathogens foreign material
  • Oblivious to intentional contamination
  • Stable raw material supply
  • Reliable and accessible vs. transient workers

31
Challenges of a Food Situation
  • Food supply system is extremely complex
  • Global challenge acknowledged
  • Food as a desirable terrorist vehicle
  • Intentional vs. accidental contamination
  • New paradigm for threats to food safety and
    defense management

32
Multiple Food System Vulnerabilities
  • Opportunities for contaminant access
  • Lack of subsequent adequate inactivation
    treatment
  • Large volume and/or maximum mixing
  • Product environment for agent growth/preservation
  • Rapid distribution to consumers
  • Rapid consumption by consumers
  • Possible disproportionate consumption by high
    risk populations

33
Differentiating Accidental/Normal from
Intentional Contamination
  • Types of information, reports, situations
  • Types of agents
  • Concentration of agents
  • Choice of targets
  • Scale/number of targets
  • Recognition of illness, cause, response

34
  • Defending the safety of the food systemthrough
    research and education

Frank Busta , Director NCFPD http//www.ncfpd.umn
.edu
35
Collaborating Across Agencies
State/Local Agencies
36
Broad Academic Collaboration
37
Diverse Industry and Association Collaboration
38
NCFPD Mission
  • Reduce the likelihood of an attack
  • Improve the nations ability to respond
    effectively
  • Reduce the consequences of an attack

39
NCFPD Goals
  • Reduce the potential for catastrophic food system
    events by
  • Rendering targets unattractive
  • Rapidly and accurately detecting attacks
  • Responding effectively to minimize consequences
  • Rapidly delivering effective recovery efforts
  • Training new scientists and professionals
  • Partnering and collaborating to ensure success

40
NCFPD Primary Themes
  • Supply Chain Resiliency
  • Public Health Response
  • Economic Models for Evaluating Interventions

System Focus
  • Rapid Detection
  • Decontamination
  • Inactivation
  • Disposal

Agent Focus
  • Disseminating NCFPD Products
  • Training Scholars and Professionals
  • Risk Communication

Training Focus
41
Supply Chain Goals
System Focus
  • Tools for the private sector to assess and
    improve their own capabilities to
  • Prevent food system events
  • Respond to food system events
  • Recover from food system events
  • Guidelines/standards to simplify implementation
    of best practices for supply chain protection

42
Public Health Goals
System Focus
  • Realistic models for food system events and
    public health response capability to enable
  • Improved interventions/countermeasures
  • More rapid surveillance
  • More effective policies and training across the
    food and public health systems
  • Performance standards for surveillance outbreak
    response at the state and local level

43
Models of Food System Events
  • Realistic models of key event attributes
  • Consumer exposure and outcome
  • Impact on public health infrastructure
  • Economic impact of an event
  • Impact of various interventions
  • Demonstrates massive impact from food event
  • Requires extensive collaboration with private
    sector, states and federal agencies to be
    relevant

44
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47
Time from Symptoms to Outbreak Complaint/Recogniti
on
System Focus
EDITS2002
48
Botulism Outbreak Example
System Focus
Event
  • August 25, Church supper
  • 15 (40)/38 ill
  • August 29, 4 men admitted to hospital
  • Diagnosis delayed by 1-7 d in 4 persons
  • Outlier sought treatment 4x over 3 days before
    diagnosis
  • Kalluri P, et al. CID
  • 2003371490-1495

Event recognized
49
Economics Goals
System Focus
  • Quantitative evaluation of the total economic
    consequences at the firm, community, sector,
    regional and national level
  • Tools to optimize investments for mitigation of
    food system events
  • Consumer and private sector validation of
    appropriate investments in the food system

50
Consumers Believe Food Safe, But Not Secure
System Focus
51
Public Says Spend More for Food Defense and to
Prevent Chemical-Biological Attacks
52
NCFPD Primary Themes
System Focus
  • Rapid Detection
  • Decontamination
  • Inactivation
  • Disposal

Agent Focus
Training Focus
53
Detection Goals
Agent Focus
  • Detection platforms for the unique needs of the
    food system, including
  • In-line processing
  • Mobile deployment
  • Private and public sector laboratories
  • Detection platforms built on multiple technical
    strategies
  • Integration of existing technologies into rapid
    systems
  • Development of new platforms for real time
    detection
  • Development of new platforms for rapid, high
    sensitivity/specificity

54
Dairy Detection Where To Test?
Agent Focus
Dairy Farms 116,874
Supply Plants 101
Cheese Plants 402
Distributing Plants 265
Flavor Suppliers 32
Ice Cream Plants 94
Vitamin Suppliers 11
Bulk Condensed Milk 66 Plants
Intentional contamination of ONE BATCH at any one
of these points could result in catastrophic
public health and economic harm
55
Electronic detection of membrane dissolution
  • Bio-recognition membrane separates fluidic sample
    from electrodes
  • Specific target cleaves membrane (ex. protease
    activity)
  • Sample flows into electrodes and changes
    resistance drastically
  • Ideally ? transduction/amplification (enzyme
    activity)
  • Zero power consumption until target detection
  • Applicable widely to bio-sensing

S. S. Sridharamurthy, et al. Lab on a Chip 2006,
vol. 7, pp. 840-842
56
Inactivation/Decontamination Goals
Agent Focus
  • Near-term actionable decontamination procedures
    for food system facilities in case of an event
  • Mid-term safer/more effective decontamination
    technical strategies for food system facilities
  • Food processing protocols to mitigate the public
    health implications of potential contamination
    agents

57
Disposal Goals
Agent Focus
  • Near-term actionable disposal protocols for
    contaminated food in case of an event
  • Environmental safety
  • Regulatory/community considerations
  • Mid-term safer/more community acceptable
    strategies for disposal of contaminated food

58
NCFPD Primary Themes
System Focus

Agent Focus
  • Disseminating NCFPD Products
  • Training Scholars and Professionals
  • Risk Communication

Training Focus
59
Education Goals
Training Focus
  • A comprehensive educational program that
    addresses the educational content needs for food
    defense
  • A learning community of experts in the fields of
    education, security, food supply and public
    health
  • Educational needs assessment across the food
    supply chain
  • Educational resources developed by others, vetted
    by education team and enhanced utilization
  • New courses, certificates and continuing
    education content to close gaps in food defense
    education

60
Risk Communication Goals
Training Focus
  • Best practices, key messages and metamessaging
    strategies and subject matter experts for
    different scenarios
  • Curriculum, training materials and programs to
    train risk communicators for food system
    catastrophic events
  • Capabilities for real time risk communication
    support in the case of an actual event

61
Goal Reduce outrage so people dont take
unnecessary precautions
High
Crisis Communication
Fear (Outrage)
Public Relations
Precaution Advocacy
Low
High
Danger (Hazard)
62
Goal Increase concern for a real hazard to
motivate preventive action
High
Outrage Management
Crisis / Emergency Communication
Fear (Outrage)
Public Relations
Low
High
Danger (Hazard)
63
Goal Acknowledge hazard, validate concern,
give people ways to respond
High
Outrage Management
Fear (Outrage)
Public Relations
Precaution Advocacy
Low
High
Danger (Hazard)
64
Summary
  • Great need for research and education to defend
    the safety of the food system
  • Cross cutting systems approach to drive unique
    benefits in food system defense
  • Fundamental research program reinforced by
    stakeholder relevant, applied research programs
  • Diverse and strong partnerships to deliver user
    relevant science to security solutions
  • Clear technology transfer plans for research
    products

65
Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper.
You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the
one shot that people remember is the one that
gets past you.
  • Paul Wilkinson, Daily Telegraph, London, 9/ 1/ 92

66
  • Defending the safety of the food systemthrough
    research and education

Frank Busta , Director NCFPD http//www.ncfpd.umn
.edu
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