Online Tool Gives Farmers Food Defense

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) created Agriculture CARVER + Shock, a free online risk assessment tool to help the food industry at the farm level implement food production security methods.

The software, available by clicking here, originally was developed by the U.S. military to identify areas that might be vulnerable to attack. The FDA and USDA adapted the model to the food and agriculture sector. The software currently evaluates potential vulnerabilities in the supply chains of different foods and food processes. The FDA and APHIS worked with Sandia National Laboratories to develop the special agriculture module, designed primarily for harvest and pre-harvest food production operations.

This assessment tool helps the producer understand how an attacker might think, said Stephen F. Sundlof, DVM, PhD, director of the FDAs Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Producers can easily identify weak spots in their operation and receive practical advice on countermeasures they can put in place.

Farms of all sizes can benefit. Producers are asked a series of questions about each component of their production process. Based on the responses, Ag Carver provides scores for those components and specific risk mitigation measures are recommended. These might include upgrades or enhancements to physical security, process operations, or a change in personnel practices. Information entered by the program user is not recorded by either FDA or APHIS.