Emergency Preparedness and Biosecurity
In recent years, schools have been preparing crisis management plans to prevent and respond to emergencies, including terrorism-related events. School nutrition programs must be part of this process. In addition to standard food safety precautions, special attention has been paid to biosecurity planning. Below are resources that will help schools prepare for the unthinkable.
Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice (in Adobe Acrobat format)
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service prepared "Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice: Developing a Biosecurity Management Plan" to help school foodservice managers strength the safety of school foodservice operations. Though not mandatory, FNS encourages schools to develop teams to address intentional contamination of the food supply or bioterrorist threats. This booklet contains a wide array of guidelines and suggestions on forming teams, prioritizing preventive measures and creating a school foodservice biosecurity management plan.
Countering Bioterrorism and Other Threats to the Food Supply
This Web page, found at FoodSafety.gov, features a list of links to Web sites that include federal guidance on preventative measures and resources on a variety of perceived threats. Information on homeland security and schools is also included.
Frequently Asked Questions About Food Safety and Terrorism (CFSAN)
Answers from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, a division of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to the most frequently asked questions about food safety and terrorism. The answers provide context for what school nutrition programs can do to prepare for bioterrorism threats.
Guidance for Industry (in Adobe Acrobat format)
FDA, in consultation with the food industry, has developed guidance documents on food security preventative measures. These documents, which are in response to the September 11 attacks, were published on January 9, 2002. They are designed to assist food organizations and importers in “averting tampering or criminal or terrorist actions.”