Horizon Scanning
Building the capability to scan and analyze data to monitor potential food threats and identify adverse food events.
Last month, the president released his budget request to congress for consideration. As would be expected given the difficult financial times we face...
Two common questions we receive related to attacks on the food and agriculture system are, "Who would actually be interested in carrying out an attack?" and "Why hasn’t it already happened?"
While China continues to have problems with adulteration for economic gain and other purposes, recent news suggests that China is getting much more serious about dealing with these types of problems.
The National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) was officially launched as a Homeland Security Center of Excellence in July 2004. A multidisciplinary and action-oriented research consortium, NCFPD addresses the vulnerability of the nation's food system to attack through intentional contamination with biological or chemical agents.
NCFPD's research and education program is aimed at reducing the potential for contamination at any point along the food supply chain and mitigating potentially catastrophic public health and economic effects of such attacks. The program incorporates cutting-edge research across a wide range of disciplines, taking a comprehensive, farm-to-table view of the food system and encompassing all aspects from primary production through transportation and food processing to retail and food service.
We need to support continued investment in developing solutions to protect the country in general, and food and agriculture in particular, so that we can protect the public and the economy.
Director, Shaun Kennedy