Food defense is everyone's business.

A closer look at food safety vs. food defense

The terms "food safety" and "food defense" do not mean the same thing. Food safety addresses the accidental contamination of food. Food defense deals with the deliberate contamination of food with the intent of causing harm or disruption. Food defense should also not be confused with food security, which describes a situation in which people do not live in hunger or fear of starvation.

What is food defense?

In the past, defense in the restaurant industry meant protecting customers and employees from violence or criminal acts. But in the current national context, food defense means preventing or eliminating the deliberate contamination of food. The contaminants used are generally one of five types:

1. Biological
2. Chemical
3. Physical
4. Nuclear
5. Radioactive

Click Here to check out the latest resources to help protect your food supply

The TEAM Approach to Food Defense

Six-Step Approach of Threat Evaluation, Assessment, and Management

Step 1: Identify the potential threats to food security in all phases of the operation.

Step 2: Assess the threats to determine those that have the highest risk (greatest negative impact).

Step 3: Analyze threat-control measures, and establish management control or procedures to eliminate potential threats and/or reduce their risk levels.

Step 4: Implement control measures, and establish management monitoring of each critical exposure point.

Step 5: Take corrective actions if there is a break in management control of the critical exposure point.

Step 6: Supervise and review the system to verify that TEAM is working