Federal Agencies Join Private Industry to Protect Against Agroterrorism

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The US Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on June 22, 2009, a new collaboration with states and private industry to protect the nation's food supply from terrorist threats.

Under the Strategic Partnership Program Agroterrorism initiative, over the next year, teams of federal and state officials will travel to all 50 states to meet with all sectors of the food chain. Together, the federal, state, and private industry partners will discuss security issues from farm-to-table and consider ways to better protect our food supply.

These visits will help the federal partners to better consider how states and industry can protect the food supply, gain more information about the food industry's protection needs, and assist government and private industry in refining its efforts including research and development goals. The FDA says this effort is the second major joint initiative for the federal partners. In May 2005, the agencies hosted the first International Symposium for Agrosecurity in Kansas City, Missouri.

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• Courtesy USDA