Food Defense Research Articles

Dialettale, regionale, nazionale: identità linguistiche nella descrizione della lingua del cibo

Food and, consequently, the language that describes it represent one of the areas of culture and language in which there has been the strongest assertion of an identity model. This is the result of the sum of different local components. Until the beginning of the 20th century (essentially until the lesson of Pellegrino Artusi), the gastronomic lexicon had moved toward Frenchizing models (i.e. Francesco Leonardi’s Apicio moderno). During the last century, it rapidly descended into an essentially national dimension but also with a kind of “globalization” of the typical product, whereby it is natural to find Sicilian cannoli in Bozen and strudel in Palermo), and finally local, with the revaluation of local products (for example, with the defense and valorization of slow food). Added to this is the progressive expansion of the space that the language of food has in dictionaries and also in the “vocabolario di base” of Italian (significant in this regard are the entries made in the Nuovo De Mauro with respect to GRADIT): precisely by starting from the description of the lexicon of food in the Italian lexicography of use, an interpretation of the relationship between Italian, regionalism and dialectalism in the describing of an identity share of the Italian lexicon will be proposed.

Robust Chemical Testing for Food Safety: Assessing and Identifying Dye Adulterants in Blueberry Juice: A Comprehensive Case Study with Statistical Measures and Correlation Analysis

In the food sector, the problem of food fraud—which encompasses the more focused category of adulteration driven by economic gain—is becoming more widely acknowledged and is raising concerns. Both the government and the industry are accountable for avoiding food adulteration, regardless of where the food danger originated. Food adulteration can result from incidents concerning food safety, food fraud, and food defence, which poses serious risks to the general public's health. In contrast to inadvertent injury in food safety events and intentional harm in food defence incidents, food fraud entails intentional activities for financial gain. Although financially motivated adulteration may have financial motivations, the unusual nature of contaminants frequently makes the related public health hazards more dangerous than traditional food safety threats. Establishing and executing a database that aggregates reports of food component fraud available for publicly accessible sources is an essential task. For governments, agencies, and individual enterprises assessing the possible dangers associated with certain items created in specific regions and those disseminated and sold elsewhere, this database provides essential information and useful data. The paper also describes current analytical tools for identifying food fraud and highlights new developments and trends in the food production industry and the food production bad sector.

When population growth intensifies intergroup competition, female colobus monkeys free-ride less

Intergroup aggression often results in the production of public goods, such as a safe and stable social environment and a home range containing the resources required to survive and reproduce. We investigate temporal variation in intergroup aggression in a growing population of colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) to ask a novel question: “Who stepped-up to produce these public goods when doing so became more difficult?”. Both whole-group encounters and male incursions occurred more frequently as the population grew. Males and females were both more likely to participate in whole-group encounters when monopolizable food resources were available, indicating both sexes engaged in food defence. However, only females increasingly did so as the population grew, suggesting that it was females who increasingly produced the public good of home range defence as intergroup competition intensified. Females were also more active in male incursions at high population densities, suggesting they increasingly produced the public good of a safe and stable social environment. This is not to say that males were chronic free-riders when it came to maintaining public goods. Males consistently participated in the majority of intergroup interactions throughout the study period, indicating they may have lacked the capacity to invest more time and effort.

Food safety regulations implementation and their impact on food security level in Malaysia: A review

The purpose of the present review paper is to provide a preliminary review related to current research on the implementation of food safety regulations, and the impact on three dimensions of food security level namely food resources, food production, and logistics. All 16 research papers published in 2016 - 2023 on implementation of food regulations among food industries in Malaysia were collected from Google Scholar and discussed herein. The main factors that contribute to low number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with food safety assurance certification are due to high certification and business renovation costs, language barrier between industries and authorities, as well as lack of motivation and knowledge among SMEs. In addition, the negligence of food manufacturers in following regulations leaves negative impact on Malaysia’s food security level. The present review suggests future research on food fraud, food defence, and stability of food resources to secure higher level of food safety and security.

The threat of ransomware in the food supply chain: a challenge for food defence

AbstractIn the food industry, the level of awareness of the need for food defence strategies has accelerated in recent years, in particular, mitigating the threat of ransomware. During the Covid-19 pandemic there were a number of high-profile organised food defence attacks on the food industry using ransomware, leading to imperative questions over the extent of the sector’s vulnerability to cyber-attack. This paper explores food defence through the lens of contemporary ransomware attacks in order to frame the need for an effective ransomware defence strategy at organisational and industry level. Food defence strategies have historically focused on extortion and sabotage as threats, but often in terms of physical rather than cyber-related attacks. The globalisation, digitalisation and integration of food supply chains can increase the level of vulnerability to ransomware. Ransomware is an example of an organised food defence threat that can operationalise both extortion and sabotage, but the perpetrators are remote, non-visible and often anonymous. Organisations need to adopt an effective food defence strategy that reduces the risk of a ransomware attack and can enable targeted and swift action in the event an incident occurs. Further collaboration between government and the private sector is needed for the development of effective governance structures addressing the risk of ransomware attacks. The novelty of this article lies in analysing the issue of ransomware attacks from the perspective of the food sector and food defence strategy. This study is of potential interest to academics, policy makers and those working in the industry.

Actions of military veterinary medicine in a food defense context: a study under the perspective of the Brazilian Armed Forces based on American Armed Forces guidelines

The perception that food supplies and any stage of manufacturing process chains can become vehicles for the intentional spread of biological, chemical, physical, and radiological contaminants took form after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Food defense thus emerged as a new area within the food safety field. Under this perspective, risks to food and food production chains originate from intentional and ideologically engineered acts that aim to harm public health on a wide scale. In times of international conflicts that aim to destabilize a nation’s morale, the armed forces may become a target for attacks, leading to operability losses and momentary or permanent troop losses due to foodborne illnesses or deaths caused by the massive contamination of food consumed by the military. In this regard, veterinarians enrolled in the armed forces can focus on defense measures against deliberate food supply contamination, as they are trained in food technology, inspection, and surveillance. This review summarizes the role of veterinarians in the food defense field in the United States Armed Forces and the current situation of these professionals in the Brazilian Armed Forces.

Encompassing potential preventive controls using GFSI, USDA National Organic Program, FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food and FSMA Intentional Adulteration in ready-to-eat organic leafy green salad: A case study from Thailand

This qualitative research work continues from the previous research of Surareungchai S. et al. (2021 and 2022) Simplify product safety and quality risk analysis of raw materials for conventional, soilless culture and organic salads. The previous work focused on raw materials risk assessment and risk management for conventional, soilless culture and organic salads. This current work focuses on the complete processing of ready-to-eat organic leafy green salad from receiving until delivery, to develop practical guidance of product safety, product fraud and product quality issue risk analysis and produce preventive control plans by covering overall product integrity (product safety, product quality and product authenticity (non-fraudulent product or product fraud avoidance) together with product legality) as Global Food Safety Initiative (e.g. BRCGS Food Safety, International Featured Standard for Food, Safe Quality Food and Food Safety System Certification), USDA National Organic Program, FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food and FSMA Intentional Adulteration Final Rule. The case study run in this research was a Thai volunteer ready-to-eat organic leafy green fresh cut multi-standard implementing small enterprise production scale validation and verification phase using the previous practical fruit and vegetable 4 × 4 risk matrix model, 4 × 4 fraud risk matrix model and 4 × 4 quality issue risk matrix model. The result showed that the previous risk matrix models can be used for fruit and vegetable raw materials. Some severity scores can be applied to other input materials apart from the fruit and vegetable group. Occurrence scores from the previous models were changed to be useable with other input materials and during in-processing steps, corresponding to lower score ranking scales from the risk matrix models. And preventive control plans were represented as critical control point, critical quality point, critical organic point and actionable process step by considering process, allergen, sanitation, supply chain and other controls e.g., organic product fraud or food defense preventive measures. The results show that the single format of risk assessment and preventive control plan from this work, can be helpful to entrepreneurs for multi-standard implementing for overall product integrity (product safety, product quality, and product authenticity (non-fraudulent product or product fraud avoidance) control.

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Food Defense and Food Hygiene in Japan: Cross-Sectional Study.

In Japan, incidents of falsified expiration dates on popular cookie brands and health hazards associated with frozen Chinese dumplings have raised food safety awareness. To prevent the intentional contamination of food by foreign substances, large food manufacturing companies have adopted the concept of food defense. The aim of this study was to assess people's willingness to pay for food protection measures. In addition, the impact of participants' personalities and considerations regarding their purchase choices on how much they were willing to pay when shopping for food and other products were measured. A questionnaire on willingness to pay for food hygiene and food defense was administered via a web survey and 1414 responses were included in the analysis. Univariate logistic regression analyses were performed with individuals willing and unwilling to pay additional costs as the objective variable and other questionnaire items as explanatory variables. A principal component analysis was performed on 12 questions regarding how much additional money people were willing to pay, and the principal component scores and other questions were examined for implications and other information. Approximately one-third of the respondents stated that they were unwilling to pay additional costs and reported a willingness to consume delivery food even if it contained items that were not part of the original order. The first principal component reflected the extent to which people were willing to pay additional money, and if so, how much. This tendency existed even if the individual foods and amounts varied. The third principal component reflected the amount of extra money that people were willing to pay, which was determined by the amount people had to pay toward food safety measures. Those who answered "zero" were more likely to believe that consumers should not have to pay to ensure food safety. The second principal component reflected an axis separating food defense and food hygiene. Some items not directly related to food were correlated with this axis. In Japan, the concept of food hygiene is well-established and is generally taken for granted. In contrast, the concept of food defense is relatively new and has not yet fully penetrated the Japanese market. Our research shows that people who think that clothing brands provided added value to clothing products may have similar feelings about food defense. In addition, food hygiene efforts to prevent outbreaks of food poisoning are common in Japan and have been established as the basis of food safety. While food defense efforts are spreading, mainly in companies, it is presumed that they are valuable for the general public as supplementary measures to routine (or basic) food hygiene.

Consumer Awareness of Food Defense Measures at Food Delivery Service Providers and Food Manufacturers: Web-Based Consumer Survey Study.

Various stages of the food chain, from production to processing to distribution, can impact food safety. The concept of "food defense" has emerged as a countermeasure against intentional contamination of food with foreign substances. Although knowledge of food hygiene is common among consumers, there are currently no reports of consumer surveys on food defense. This study aims to investigate consumer awareness of food defense and food safety. We analyzed the results focusing on how consumers behave when they find abnormalities in food to further our knowledge on promoting food defense measures. Participants completed a web-based questionnaire that included items related to awareness of food safety and food defense, as well as actions to be taken in cases of food abnormalities, such as contamination by foreign substances, the presence of a bad smell in purchased food, and the inclusion of extra items not selected by the individual. The participants were asked to indicate their preference among the 5 suggested actions in each case using a 6-point Likert scale. Data analysis involved aggregating responses into binary values. Stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between selected actions and questionnaire items, such as sex, age, and personality. A total of 1442 respondents completed the survey, and the majority of participants placed importance on food safety when making food purchases. The recognition of each term was as follows: 95.2% (n=1373) for "food security and safety," 95.6% (n=1379) for "food hygiene," and 17.1% (n=247) for "food defense." The percentages of those who answered that they would "eat without worrying" in the case of "contamination by foreign substances," "bad smell," or "including unpurchased product" in the frozen food they purchased were 9.1% (n=131), 4.8% (n=69), and 30.7% (n=443), respectively. The results showed that contacting the manufacturer was the most common action when faced with contaminated food or food with a bad smell. Interestingly, a significant percentage of respondents indicated they would upload the issue on social networking sites. Logistic regression analysis revealed that male participants and the younger generation were more likely to choose the option of eating contaminated food without worrying. Additionally, the tendency to upload the issue on social networking sites was higher among respondents who were sociable and brand-conscious. The findings of this study indicate that if food intentionally contaminated with a foreign substance is sold and delivered to consumers, it is possible consumers may eat it and experience health problems. Therefore, it is crucial for not only food manufacturers but also food delivery service providers to consider food defense measures such as protecting food from intentional contamination. Additionally, promoting consumer education and awareness regarding food defense can contribute to enhancing food safety throughout the food chain.

Checklist “Food defense”: a tool for vulnerability analysis in food establishments

Concepts on food defense comprise measures to protect food from deliberate contamination. Even though so far there are no specific regulations concerning food defense in Germany and the EU, many German food business operators have an obligation to establish a specific food defense plan due to certification or export requirements. However, the topic of food defense is often neglected in food management and control. Raising the awareness of the responsible persons is necessary. Easy-to-use resources and support for food businesses for introducing a food defense concept are hardly available. In this context, the currently developed “Food defense checklist” in German language offers a simple and practical tool. The checklist can be used to get an overview of the status of specific prevention measures, to obtain suggestions for a food defense plan and is freely available at https://food-defense.ua-bw.de.

The Status and Trends of Food Fraud in Tamale, Ghana

Despite its seriousness, food fraud has not received the necessary attention in Ghana’s discourse on food safety. Food fraud is generally considered as the intentional misrepresentation of the contents or identity of food for economic gain. The study was aimed at assessing the food fraud awareness level of participants as well as the foods most likely to be implicated in food fraud cases in Tamale, Ghana. Data was collected from 385 participants, including food business operators and consumers, via a simple random sampling technique using a structured questionnaire. Most participants (54%) were not aware of food fraud and its related activities before the study. Beverages and juices, fruits and vegetables, spices, oils, meat and fish, baked foods, honey, milk, and semi-processed local foods such as groundnut paste, "Dawadawa," “Kulikuli zim,” and “Agushi powder” were all revealed to be implicated in food fraud by respondents. Adulteration was the most common food fraud action, but tampering, substitution, and mislabeling were also identified as ongoing in the study area. “Moora” (Bixa orellana seeds) was revealed as the key adulterant used in most foods. Food fraud, which is a threat to consumer health and well-being, is active in the region and is predicted to increase without strict regulation and increased sensitization about its dangers. The fight against food fraud should be refocused on making food defense systems like vulnerability analysis and critical control points (VACCP) a key aspect of food safety systems to tackle food fraud.

The Perception of Manadonese Society to the Fuzz Food

Fuzz food is desperately needed in food defense during the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The problem that arises is: how do the people of Manado perceive fuzz food? The research method used is a descriptive qualitative method through a gastronomic linguistic approach. The naming theory (Palmer, 1976), the basic linguistic theory (1994), and the theory of meaning are used to answer this problem. The results of the study are the lingual form of fuzz food according to the perceptions of the people of Manado in the form of words, phrases, and clauses. The word consists of several names, namely Batman, Eveready, Tinutuan, and Bobengka. The phrase consists of several names, namely Kukis Harijadi Rina, Tinutuan dregs ba', Tinutuan dregs ba', Pangi Ikang, and Rica Rodo. The clause consists of stuffed pork in feathers and sweet potato gravy with bamboo shoots. Kluasa is known by several names, including Woku belanga, Asang sauce with bamboo shoots and sweet potato, and Pangi Ikang in Bulu.The meaning of "fuzzy food" and its denotative and connotative meanings The connotative meaning is Evelyn and Batman.

Effects of early social separation on the behaviour of kittens of the domestic cat

For many mammals the presence of the mother and/or siblings is an important component of an individual's early developmental environment, and lack of these social influences can have long-lasting effects on morphological, physiological, and behavioural development. Surprisingly, little is known about the effects of premature maternal and sibling separation in the domestic cat, even though hand-raising is rather common due to the large number of orphaned and rescued kittens. In this study we assessed 62 nine-week-old kittens (32 mother-reared, 14 orphans hand-raised with siblings and 16 hand-raised orphan singletons) in three behavioural tests: a handling (struggle) test, a food defence (meat) test, and a separation/confinement test. Additionally, we used infrared thermography to evaluate stress-induced changes in eye and nose temperatures in the separation/confinement test. We found no differences in body weight between groups at weaning at 9 weeks of age, but we found behavioural differences between the control and the two orphan groups in all three tests. Compared to control, mother-reared kittens, orphans raised with siblings and orphan singletons struggled sooner in the struggle test, plus vocalised more and exhibited greater locomotor activity in the separation/confinement test. In the meat test, only the orphans raised with siblings, but not the singletons, started consuming the raw meat stimulus sooner than control individuals. Facial thermography showed a general trend for eye and nose temperatures to decrease in response to the separation/confinement test, with no differences between rearing conditions. Our findings show that the early social environment is influential in shaping the long-term behaviour and physiology of kittens. The behavioural differences between mother-reared and hand-raised individuals should be considered for the well-being of the animals when fostering and during the adoption process. Our results suggest that, as expected, developing without the presence of the mother and raised by humans (with or without siblings) has an effect on the behaviour of kittens to weaning age and possibly even into adult life.

The acoustic repertoire of the burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur)

Acoustic signalling is used by a range of taxa to convey information. Terrestrial marsupials are not considered particularly vocal, however acoustic signalling in this group may be important for predator avoidance and social cohesion. We defined the nocturnal acoustic repertoire of the burrowing bettong, a social macropod that shelters down warrens during the day, using micro audio-recorders on the radio-collars of 19 individuals. Alarm calls were emitted in response to external stimuli just prior to fleeing, whilst aggression and submission calls were generally recorded simultaneously in pairs of individuals, usually in food defence. Submission calls were often made whilst laying and defending with the hind feet. Contact calls were quieter and emitted when one individual slowly approached another. The isolation call was only observed in interactions between adult and juvenile. Bettong call rates were higher at night when bettongs were active (nearly 50/h) than during the day (<6/h). Males emitted alarm calls more often than females, and smaller females produced higher rates of submission calls than larger females. This study provides a foundation for improved call elicitation analysis in bettongs which could assist with conservation management.

Direction of Food Defence in Post COVID-19 Era for Malaysia’s Halal Ecosystem

The pandemic of COVID-19 has stricken the world economy significantly since its first outbreak. This also affected the Malaysian economy where many businesses have halted their operation due to the outbreak as well as movement restriction order (MCO) issued by the government. Nevertheless, the condition in Malaysia is seemingly improved since the vaccination programme set by the government has reached a 78.9% vaccination rate of the total population by the first quarter of the year 2022. Currently, the Malaysian government has now in the transition from the pandemic phase to endemic phase and relaxed the imposition of restrictions that were previously enforced. This allows business operation to regain their grip in the post COVID-19 era. Despite the fragility of the supply chain particularly within the halal ecosystem, a vital aspect that is almost neglected is the encroaching food crime incidents, and the food defence approach which encompasses the protection of food supply chain against intentional contamination is still on high alert. The incidence of meat cartel in late 2020 has warned that food crime is not seizing nor hindered its operation. Therefore, a robust approach needs to be addressed to defend the food supply chain, and more importantly the halal ecosystem. Therefore, this study is carried out to examine the future direction of food defence in the post COVID-19 era in Malaysia. This study utilizes library research to collect the data by using online databases such as Google Scholar, Emerald, Science Direct and SCOPUS. This study also presents strategies for reinforcing the integrity of the food supply chain against the threat of intentional contamination from the perspective of the halal ecosystem.

PEMETAAN TINGKAT KETAHANAN PANGAN WILAYAH DI KABUPATEN SIDENRENG RAPPANG

This research was conducted with the aim to: (1) Identify food security indicators of each sub-district in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. (2) Analyze the level of sub-district food security based on regional food security indicators in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. (3) Mapping food security based on the level of food security of each sub-district in Sidenreng Rappang Regency. This study was conducted with evaluative descriptive methods, supported by quantitafif data and information aimed at better describing the food security conditions of the region related to food security indicators. The analysis unit used is the Subdistrict Scale which uses 20 indicators of the Food Security Index. The results of this study showed that: (1) The level of food security of each sub-district in Sidenreng Rappang Regency varied from various indicators of food insecurity based on Food Availability where almost all sub-districts fall into the category of food resistance with an average score of 5.27, only one sub-district is in the category of food resistance. Food Access with an average score of 4.80 is in the food resistant category. Food absorption with an average score of 5.27 is in the food resistant category. Food Vulnerability with an average score of 4.85 is in the food resistant category. Based on the composite results, it can be produced the Food Defense Map of Sidenreng Rappang Regency can be concluded that in general Sidenreng Rappang regency has Food Resistant status.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AUDITS IN THE FOOD SECTOR AND ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS

Güvenli gıdaya ulaşmada en temel öğe denetimdir. Gıda fabrikaları ve tedarikçileri düzenli olarak kalite yönetimi ve gıda güvenliği kapsamlarında denetimlerden geçmektedir. Bu denetimler mevcut yasal düzenlemelerin ortaya koyduğu gerekliliklerin yanı sıra gıda güvenliği standartlarının öngördüğü konuları da içermektedir. Bu yönüyle denetimlerin içeriği, temel olarak gıda güvenliği ve gıda kalitesi konularını kapsamakla birlikte iş sağlığı güvenliği, çevre, sosyal uygunluk, dini beklentiler, gıda savunması, tarımsal üretim metotları ve özel müşteri beklentileri olabilmektedir. Ürün kalite kriterleri ve uygulamaları, uluslararası standart komisyonları, üretici ve perakendeci birlikleri, ulusal ve uluslararası zincir marketler tarafından standartlar olarak yayınlanmaktadır. Bu amaçla çıkartılan standartların hedefi gıda güvenliği ve gıda kalitesi olmaktadır. Ayrıca tüketicilerin sağlığını ve beklentilerini garanti altına almak, işletme uygulamalarından ortaya çıkabilecek riskleri de ortadan kaldırmaktır. Sektör olarak çok geniş bir yapı oluşturan gıda işletmeleri, standart uygulanmalarından çok ciddi faydalar sağlamakla birlikte, denetim uygulamaları sırasında bazı zorluklar yaşayabilmektedir. Özellikle küçük ve orta büyüklükteki işletmelerin gelişebilmeleri için doğru bilgi kaynaklarına ve maddi desteklere ihtiyaçları olduğu açıktır. Bu çalışmada standartların oluşturulma amaçları, kapsamları, üreticilerin sağladığı faydalar, uygulamalarda yaşanan sorunlar ve olası çözüm önerileri ile geleceğe ilişkin beklentiler değerlendirilmiştir.

Food safety concerns and food defense support: a cross-cultural study

Consumers face the risk that their food is unsafe because of natural and accidental contamination (traditional food safety problems) or deliberate contamination (food defense problems). Coordinated international efforts with leadership from developed countries could help reduce these food risks. If consumers within or between countries have different attitudes about the risks, it may be difficult to generate sufficient political support for building an international food safety system. A unique consumer survey of adults in the US, the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Japan identified consumer attitudes about traditional food safety and food defense. Concerns about traditional food safety, confidence in the system to prevent intentional contamination, and funding allocations between food safety and food defense were examined in models with two sets of cultural control measures. Many people perceived food safety to be different from food defense. Food safety concerns were linked to gender, age, presence of children, education, income, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity. Food defense confidence was associated with gender, age, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. Funding allocations were examined in two models and power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and individualism were significant. Although it was expected that low concerns about food safety and low confidence in food defense would increase the allocation share for food defense, this was not confirmed in the data. Many differences were noted between countries, showing the importance of culture for understanding attitudes toward food risks. Although both sets of cultural measures made significant contributions, neither was judged to be superior to country dummy variables. Given the variations found in attitudes toward food safety and food defense, creating an international solution to reduce food risks will be difficult.

CARVER+Shock and Business Process Management in Improving Food Safety of Primary Production

Context: Food safety is essential for every human. It determines public health, nutrition, elimination of hunger, and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. It is crucial for sustainable production, consumption, and international food trade. Ensuring food safety is the fundamental challenge of the 21st century. Food safety is often related to food defense and includes protection against intentional contamination with various chemical, biological, or other harmful substances. By introducing food protection tools and methods, any company reduces risk and creates an opportunity to generate more significant and reliable profits and improved production for society. One such method could be the CARVER+Shock. The method is an offensive targeting prioritization tool that has been adapted for use in the food sector. Objective: The article aims to present the experience of the first implementation of CARVER+Shock in a Polish primary production company, to improve the approach to food safety and food defense. Methods: The article is a case study. Descriptive analysis was performed to analyze legal acts and safety management standards in food defense. The authors used the CARVER+Shock expert method to estimate companies’ vulnerability. CARVER is an acronym for Criticality, Accessibility, Recoverability, Vulnerability, Effect, Recognizability. The visualization and risk analysis were made using business process management and business process modeling (VACD diagram) Results and conclusions: Primary production enterprise dealing with the cultivation and confectioning of the pre-treatment and sale of peeled onions for further processing purposes was examined. Five essential stages of the production process were assessed, and risks were assigned. Recognizability and criticality turned out to be the most crucial attribute of CARVER+Shock. Overall, the study showed that the company was not fully prepared for the threat posed by food terrorism. The organization did not have any procedures describing how to proceed during deliberate attacks. In addition, workers had low awareness of food defense throughout the food chain. Based on these conclusions, several detailed improvement actions were formulated. The results obtained from the pioneering application of the CARVER+Shock method for a Polish primary production company may constitute a benchmark for other sectors of the food industry, both domestically and abroad. Significance: The article describes the results of the first Polish attempts to use CARVER+Shock and business process management to improve the approach to food safety in a primary production enterprise.

Methods in food defence: a simple and robust screening for 16 rodenticides by LC-DAD/FLD following QuEChERS–based extraction

Fortunately, the intentional contamination of food or water supplies out of criminal or terroristic motivation is a rather rare event. However, in the face of asymmetric warfare and as the consequences of such an event would be severe, food defence as a necessary supplement to food safety is gaining increased attention. While some progress has been made in developing non-target detection devices, the contamination of food or water supplies using readily available rodenticides may still be revealed only by complex analytical techniques. The presented study therefore aimed to develop a quick and easy screening method for the detection of sixteen globally common rodenticides in foodstuffs. Robust operation with limited personnel and analytical resources were one benchmark to be met by the method, which uses a slightly modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) protocol for dispersive solid-phase extraction and subsequent ion-pair chromatography with diode-array and fluorescence detection. Quantification limits were as low as 5 µg/kg with satisfying bias (recovery) and repeatability rates of 77 to 117% and 1.8 to 17.1%, respectively. The developed method provides reliable and robust detection of these deadly poisons at toxic concentrations, which was demonstrated impressively in an improvised assault scenario.