Ongoing Food Biosecurity Work at CIDRAP
The US food system—from farms to processing and distribution to retail food service—presents an array of vulnerable targets for terrorist attack. Intentional contamination of agricultural or food products with biological, chemical, or radiologic agents could lead to potentially devastating effects on human health as well as major economic losses to a critical sector of the economy. Historically, efforts to protect the food supply have focused primarily on preventing and reducing accidental contamination by naturally occurring agents. The need to protect against potential deliberate contamination now creates a demand for enhanced capabilities to anticipate, prevent, respond quickly to, and minimize the impact of such attacks. It also places new demands on federal, state, and local governments and the private sector to coordinate and integrate their biosecurity activities.
In an effort to provide leadership in the area of food biosecurity, the University of Minnesota is serving as a neutral third party in a broad-based effort to identify biosecurity gaps in the food system and to develop strategic plans to address those gaps.
The University of Minnesota's Food System Biosecurity Project
The project's goal is to develop strategies for enhancing the ability of the farm-to-table food system to prevent, detect, and respond to deliberate incidents of food contamination or disruption. Three University of Minnesota groups are collaboratively leading this project: the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), publisher of this Web site; the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety; and the School of Public Health's Division of Environmental and Occupational Health. Funded by a grant from NTI (a private, charitable foundation based in Washington, DC), this project's specific priorities include:
1. Convening an interdisciplinary group of experts from food system industries and associations, government, and academia to identify critical issues in food biosecurity, particularly the important gaps in current approaches to prevention and preparedness, and to discuss strategic plans for addressing these issues.
2. Developing Web-based food biosecurity information resources, including news stories on current biosecurity events; up-to-date reference information on prevention, detection, and treatment of foodborne illness; protocols for initial assessment of biosecurity threats; guidance on independent laboratory testing; and a compilation of biosecurity planning and preparedness activities.
3. Delivering targeted biosecurity training programs to food system professionals, law enforcement officials, and faculty and graduate students from schools of public health, medicine, veterinary medicine, and agriculture.
4. Facilitating the development of an industry-based, sector-wide mechanism for private sector entities to share and analyze biosecurity information to enhance their ability to anticipate and respond to biosecurity threats. As a neutral third party, CIDRAP provides a framework for industry-wide collaboration, which is essential for progress in many key areas, including rapid detection of biosecurity events, distinguishing hoaxes from real threats, and development of appropriate responses. Accomplishments include:
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Conducting and analyzing a biosecurity needs-assessment survey of senior food industry officials. Using a key-interview format, the survey, carried out between November 2002 and January 2003, focused on: (1) perceptions of biosecurity risks to the food system and (2) priorities regarding biosecurity information sharing and analysis services and Internet resources.
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Organizing a strategic planning committee, reflecting a balance of senior leaders from industries across the food system (ranging from farm inputs to retail food service). Put in place in early 2003, the committee, chaired by Dane Bernard (Keystone Foods), assessed current critical gaps in food biosecurity. The committee affirmed the need for an independent, member-directed agriculture and food biosecurity center whose overall goal is to protect the critical infrastructure of the food system from acts of terrorism through proactive information sharing, analysis, event response, education, and training. CIDRAP provided the committee with analytical and organizational support throughout the planning period.
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Facilitating the development of a business plan for an agriculture and food biosecurity center. Approved by the committee in September 2003, the business plan calls for an initial set of core strategic services, including confidential information gathering and sharing, science-based analysis, event response, education, and training, along with select tactical initiatives as needed. The proposed Center will utilize technical resources and expertise from academic institutions and the private sector nationwide. Key faculty at the University of Minnesota—including Drs. Osterholm, Hueston, Hedberg, and Moore—will serve as initial consultants to the Center, given their expertise and professional credibility in critical scientific and technical areas. The proposed Center will work closely with federal, state, and local public health agencies, intelligence/security organizations, academic centers, relevant industry trade associations, and other supporting organizations to achieve its objectives.
Members will include food system companies, producer groups, and cooperatives (representing individual farm growers or producers) engaged in all areas of the farm-to-table food system—production, manufacturing and processing, wholesaling, packaging and other suppliers, transportation and distribution, retailing, and food service.
Project Staff
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Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Director, CIDRAP
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Will Hueston, DVM, MS, PhD, Director, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety
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Craig Hedberg, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Public Health Division of Environmental Health Sciences
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Jill DeBoer, MPH, Associate Director, CIDRAP
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Kris Moore, MD, MPH, Medical Director, CIDRAP
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Julie Ostrowsky, MSc, Program Manager, CIDRAP
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Sue Ferenc, DVM, PhD, Project Consultant, SAF.Risk, LC
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Dan Dennison, PhD, Project Consultant
Food System Biosecurity Leadership Group Meeting Summaries
November 12, 2001: Bioterrorism and Food Security: Developing an Effective National Response
December 17, 2001: Measures to Enhance Food System Biosecurity
May 23, 2002: Toward a Food System ISAC
March 25-26, 2003: Planning Committee Meeting
July 8-9, 2003: Planning Committee Meeting
For more information, please contact:
Julie Ostrowsky, MSc
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
University of Minnesota
Mayo Memorial Building, MMC 263
420 Delaware St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-3149
Fax: 612-624-2157
E-mail: jto@umn.edu
Related Organizations/Links at the University of Minnesota
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