Risk Analysis-Based Food Defense Certification Program for Professional and Academic Audiences

Non-Technical Summary: The United States agriculture and food systems are vulnerable to disease, pest, or poisonous agents that occur naturally, are unintentionally introduced, or are intentionally delivered by acts of terrorism. America's agriculture and food system is an extensive, open, interconnected, diverse, and complex structure providing potential targets for terrorist attacks. We should provide the best protection possible against a successful attack on the United States agriculture and food system, which could have catastrophic health and economic effects The purpose of the project is to better secure the safety and defense of the nation's food supply through effective and efficient on-line training and education of key personnel in industry, government and among stakeholders working throughout the food chain. <P> Approach: Continuity with ongoing science-based food safety initiatives will be assured by building upon and extending the state-of-the art risk analysis training, established by this research team, to include food defense. Our approach involves : 1) The creation of a new food defense certificate program that relies heavily on the risk analysis paradigm; 2) The formation of an industry expert panel with international participation to shape program content; 3) The development of new professional/academic courses in food defense, designed to meet the needs of domestic and international industry and government partners; and 4) The offering of both professional and academic certification of core competencies in food defense