Agroterrorism

Remembering the recent spinach related deaths and the subsequent recall of the tasty leafy treat nationwide, here’s something interesting to think about. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is having its “second annual International Symposium on Agroterrorism in Kansas City, a week-long summit of law enforcement and agriculture officials on the front lines of preventing, detecting, and investigating intentional attacks on the U.S. food supply.” Seems they are looking at the possibility of wide-spread harm being done through not only our water supply, but our food supply as well.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In the event of an attack, the FBI would focus on the criminal investigation while the FDA and USDA center their attention on containing the public health risks. The FBI would collect the suspected hazardous material and send it to a network of labs with standardized procedures for identifying biological or chemical pathogens—a process that 10 years ago took days today takes hours. If the samples were positive, the FBI would establish a Joint Operations Center with representatives from Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, HHS, EPA, FDA, and FEMA, along with local law enforcement, public health officials, and scientists”

I have a lot of respect for the FBI, but FDA, EPA, and FEMA? Is that supposed to make me feel safer?

Full article here.