Biosecurity measures to ease food safety fears

Related tags Security

Following the terrorist attacks on the US in September biosecurity
has become a primary issue for the country. In response to fears
over food safety the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) on
Tuesday approved a plan to develop enhanced biosecurity measures
for its 650 member companies.

Following the terrorist attacks on the US in September biosecurity has become a primary issue for the country. In response to fears over food safety the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) on Tuesday approved a plan to develop enhanced biosecurity measures for its 650 member companies. Under the proposal, a task force of industry experts will be named to identify possible security breaches and effective methods of protection. The resulting program will focus on such areas as plant security, ingredient integrity, product integrity and dealer/retailer/customer service. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., AFIA is the national trade association representing manufacturers from more than 75% of the commercial feed sold annually in the U.S. Domestic and international markets. AFIA Chairman Dwight Armstrong said, "We plan to identify strengths and possible areas of concern throughout the feed industry and recommend appropriate safeguards. This will be accomplished in such a way without providing insights for those who may wish to exploit any vulnerabilities."​ According to AFIA President David Bossman the association's biosecurity guidelines could easily be incorporated into an existing Food Safety Leadership Plan which has received widespread praise from several agricultural sectors. "The framework for such a program is in place. We could incorporate it very effectively in a short period of time. This measure is extremely important to our industry's on-going food safety efforts and will receive the highest priority."​ The AFIA Board action comes in the wake of the tragic events of Sept. 11. Several companies had contacted the Association for assistance or with inquiries about what can be done in the area of biosecurity. The AFIA program will address those matters. Plans are to develop and implement it within the next 30 days.

Related topics Policy

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