Meat + Poultry - March 2006 - 8

Commentary

Is it really inevitable?
"It's not if, but when." That seems to
be the catch phrase nowadays. Whether
the discussion is about food security
or avian influenza, a common theme
I keep hearing is they're going to happen; it's unavoidable.
Terrorists will penetrate a plant's
food defense systems causing a breech
that will have unforeseen consequences. Also, the H5N1 strain of A.I. will
eventually make it to the United States,
placing unimaginable stress on this
country's poultry industry.
As the adage goes, "Prepare for the
worst, expect the best." For the industry
to be on its highest alert, people have to
believe something bad is going to happen and have a plan in place when it
does. If poultry processors were told
there was only a 50-50 chance of bird
flu making it into this country, they
wouldn't be nearly as prepared as if
they thought it was imminent.
Although food security and avian
influenza are two different topics, the
fact many experts expect they are in
our foreseeable future binds them.
Whether it was listening to speakers
during the food defense session at the
Meat Industry Research Conference at
the Worldwide Food Expo this past October or during a special two-hour session on A.I. at the International Poultry

Exposition in January, the overwelming sentiment was "not if, but when."
When Tommy Thompson, former
secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health

of a strong food defense program is
a company's employees and inducing
them to report any suspicious behavior. Thus it is essential to train employees about how to recognize questionable activities.

One of the most important aspects of a strong food
defense program is a company's employees and
inducing them to report any suspicious behavior.
and Human Services, announced his
resignation in December 2004, he remarked, "For the life of me, I cannot
understand why the terrorists have not
attacked our food supply because it is
so easy to do."
Many people probably wished
Thompson had never uttered such blunt
remarks, fearing this was the equivalent
of waving a green flag to terrorists. Yet
here we are nearly a year-and-a-half
later and, knock on wood, there has yet
to be an attack on the food supply.
Food security vulnerabilities certainly exist within plants; however, I
believe most companies are doing a superior job of protecting their products
and customers. I concur with experts
who encourage companies to invest in
food defense audits to test their facilities for weaknesses and to ensure a plan
is in place should a breech occur.
One of the most important aspects

As Gerald Kinard, president of the
Law Enforcement Academic Research
Network, said at the A.M.I. Animal
Care and Handling Conference this
past month, "The H.R. director has
more to do with security as it relates
to bioterrorism than anyone else in
an organization." Companies have to
be careful about who they are hiring
to protect their products and facilities
from attacks.
Additionally, companies need to
take advantage of the tools government
agencies and trade associations have
made available to them in regard to establishing food defense systems.
Is it really inevitable that the terrorists will attack our food supply? The
optimist prays that it isn't, but the realist recognizes that we must always be
aware that it is a strong possibility.
- By Shane Whitaker, Managing Editor
swhitaker@sosland.com

MEAT&POULTRY
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Dr. Temple Grandin
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Bernard Shire
Richard Stier
8

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March 2006

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Meat + Poultry - March 2006

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