Feed: Al-Qaeda plot to poison U.S. food supply uncovered by feds - AggScore: 12.9

Al-Qaeda plot to poison U.S. food supply uncovered by feds

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caption id alignalignleft width150 caption A new word agroterrorism has been added to Americans39 vocabulary. Photo DHS img srchttpcdn2b.examiner.comsitesdefaultfilesstyleslargehash1b8dagroterrorism.jpg alt A new word agroterrorism has been added to Americans vocabulary. Photo DHS width150 height113 captionThe deadlyterrorist groupalQaedamay be plottingto poison U.S. foodin the salad bars and buffets of hotels and restaurants, according to U.S. intelligence report obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Policeon Tuesday.divdivThe plot entails thehiding ofeither ricin or cyanide in the food at a number of locations in order to create panic and have an adverse effect on the U.S. food industry andeconomy.The terrorists hope that Americans will eatthe poisonedfood andwouldbecome severelyill and eventuallydie. Sources at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who issued the warning, stated that it takes only tiny quantities of either ricin or cyanide to kill.Securitymanagers and their staffswithiin the hospitality industry have been alerted and toldthe poisoning of food is a credible threat.HomelandSecurity officialsstated thatthose behind this latest plotare part of al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula Saudi Arabiaor Yemen.Another scenario that is equally deadly is the poisoning food at some point within the production, packaging or delivery.divdivdivImported food makes up a substantial and growing portion of the U.S. food supply and, considering the health and safety concerns of keeping Americans safe, Washington insiders seem oblivious to that part of protecting American citizens.divdivdivdivTo ensure imported food safety, federal agencies must focus their resources on high risk foods and coordinate efforts, according to a report released by the Government Accountability Office.divdivdivdivThe report, submitted to the US Congress and obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police, assesses how the Department of Homeland Securitys Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service are addressing challenges in overseeing the safety of imported food.divdivdivdivIt also assesses how the FDA utilizes resources by working with other entities, such as state and foreign governments, and attempts to determine how the FDA is using its Predictive RiskBased Evaluation for Dynamic Import Compliance Targeting system to oversee imported food safety.divdivdivdivUS agriculture generates more than 1.5 trillion per year in economic activity and provides an abundant food supply for Americans and others. There are continuing concerns about the vulnerability of US agriculture to the deliberate introduction of animal and plant diseases by those wishing to harm American citizens.divdivdivdivThe big problem is money be spent to monitor food products being imported into the United States. So far, the budget for food safety is minimal when compared to other government programs. For example, politicians push for vaccinating millions of Americans against what they characterize as a deadly flu epidemic, yet they do not seem concerned over a very real threat to all Americanscontaminated food, said political strategist Mike Baker.divdivdivdivFederal agencies also have been conducting vulnerability assessments of the agriculture infrastructure have created networks of laboratories capable of diagnosing animal, plant, and human diseases have begun efforts to develop a national veterinary stockpile that intends to include vaccines against foreign animal diseases and have created new federal emergency coordinator positions to help states develop emergency response plans for the agriculture sector.divdivHowever, the United States still faces complex challenges that limit the nations ability to respond effectively to an attack against livestock.divdivdivdivCBP, FDA, and FSIS claim they have taken steps to address challenges in ensuring the safety of the increasing volume of imported food. For example, CBP maintains that the system importers use to provide information to FDA on food shipments FDA electronically reviews food imports and inspects some foreign food production facilities to prevent contaminated food from reaching U.S. shores and FSIS employs an equivalency system that requires countries to demonstrate that their food safety systems provide the same level of protection as the U.S. system.div