Title: Food and Agriclture
Course: Critical Infrastructure: An Overview > Section: Course Content

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Food and Agriculture Sector

Farms, food manufacturing plants, food processing facilities, and food storage facilities are all a part of the food and agriculture sector. This sector works to deter threats to the sector, minimize the consequences from large-scale incidents, and to reduce the vulnerability of the food supply [1, p. i]. The protection of this sector helps to make the United States safer, more secure, and more resilient from hazards or terrorist attacks [1].

Much of this sector is privately owned, and there are assets all over the country. The success of the sector depends on our environment and many other variables. “Securing this sector presents unique challenges because food and agriculture systems in the United States are extensive, open, interconnected, and diverse, and they have complex structures. Food products move rapidly in commerce to consumers, but the time required for detection and identification of attacks and contaminations, such as animal or plant disease introduction or food contamination, can be lengthy and complex. Therefore, attacks and contaminations on the FA Sector could result in severe animal, plant, public health, and economic consequences” [1, p. 1].

Industries in the Food and Agriculture Sector are grouped according to the raw material that they work with, like soybeans or poultry.

In 2002, the Bioterrorism Act led to the word “food” getting a specific definition. The category of “food” may contain things that most would not think of, for example:

- Dietary Supplements
- Chewing Gum, Candy, Snack Foods, and Bakery Goods
- Pet and Animal Food
- Raw Agricultural Commodities (Used as Food or Components of Food)

[1, p. 11]

Why is Food and Agriculture Considered Critical?

If something devastated the nation’s food supply on a large scale, it could result in poor health, deaths, and damage to the country’s economy.

Threats

- Biological events such as acts of bioterrorism are a big concern of the sector.
- Natural disasters or other human caused events (sabotage or terrorism) could cause the supply chain involved in providing the United States with food to break down.
- Like most other sectors, in one way or another the Food and Agriculture Sector is dependent on Information Technology and networked information that is susceptible to cyber security issues.

Dependencies/Interdependencies

The Food and Agricultural Sector is dependent on the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector for the water that is needed to irrigate food crops. It is dependent on the Transportation Sector for the movement of food products and livestock. The sector, like most, is dependent on the Energy Sector and the Financial Services Sector [2]. The Healthcare and Public Health Sector and the Food and Agriculture Sector are interdependent on one another.

Regulation

The responsibility of Sector Specific Agency (SSA) for the Food and Agriculture Sector is assigned to two groups, the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services – more specifically the FDA. (The FDA falls under the Department of Health and Human Services.)

1. USDA stands for the United States Department of Agriculture and is the federal executive department responsible for forming and upholding policy related to farming, agriculture, forestry, and food. They work to help American farmers, ranchers, and to assure food safety while promoting agricultural trade and production. The USDA helps rural communities, conducts research, improves conservancy, provides nutritional services and works towards ending hunger [3].
2. FDA stands for Food and Drug Administration and is an agency that falls under the United States Department of Health and Human Services (a federal executive department). The FDA is tasked with protecting Americans’ health and well-being through the regulation and management of food, dietary supplements, medications, tobacco products, vaccines, cosmetics, veterinary products and more. Sanitation laws also fall under the FDA’s jurisdiction to uphold. If you take a medicine or use a medical device in the United States, then that product’s safety and efficacy has been tested by the FDA [4].