Traditionally the identification of an adverse food contamination event comes from clinical and public health data collected and reported only after individuals have consumed the product and become sick. Similarly, the contaminated food item and its distribution are often identified after the event itself. Consequently, by the time a food item has been implicated as the source of the contamination, a significant portion of the potential target population may have already consumed the product.
The recent threats from weapons of mass destruction, continual identification of economically motivated adulteration, and the Food Safety Modernization Act have served as motivation to create and implement innovative technologies for stakeholders in the food system (public and private) to identify threats, assess risk, and mitigate consequences of an adverse event in the food system. The government, private sector, and academia have transitioned research into tools and capabilities to mitigate the consequences of food system disruptions. This session will offer not only an overview of the tools but also how they integrate to build one comprehensive food protection system. Symposium speakers will come from academia, a government organization with food regulation responsibilities, and the private sector.