- FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks - USATODAY.com

Beside Food supply protections, it is a holy responsibity & duties of each & individual to protect our Drinking Water...Ground Water & Air..

FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced the final portion of its post-9/11 rules to protect the USA's food supply.

The action comes just four days after outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said he can't understand why terrorists haven't attacked the U.S. food supply, because 'it's so easy to do.'

The rules are the final piece of new authorities given to the FDA by Congress in the wake of the anthrax contamination that followed the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That contamination further highlighted the nation's vulnerability to less well-known forms of terrorism and harassment. Five people died because of their exposure to envelopes laced with the deadly bacteria.

The rules require that companies keep records so officials can trace the source of food contamination. The hope is that investigators will zero in on the exact point at which a particular food was tainted.

The new rules will be important in allowing the FDA to deal with food-related emergencies, 'such as deliberate contamination of food by terrorists,' says Lester Crawford, acting FDA commissioner.

Any company that manufactures, processes, packs, transports, distributes, receives, holds or imports food must keep records showing where it obtained the food and where it shipped it.

Farms, restaurants, food banks and individuals preparing food in the home are exempt. Read More...
USATODAY.com - FDA completes plan to protect food supply from attacks