Emergency Preparedness for Bioterrorism in a Catering Business (ISO 22000 Audit)

[milagr]

In our recent ISO 22000 audit we have been asked to have an emergency preparedeness plan for bioterrorism. We are a catering industry. any help is much appreciated. Thanks

[harry]

In Reply to Parent Post by milagr

In our recent ISO 22000 audit we have been asked to have an emergency preparedeness plan for bioterrorism. We are a catering industry. any help is much appreciated. Thanks

Interesting. Is there a requirement in the standard or a legal requirement in your state/country? I don't think Auditors can teach/tell you how to carry out your business. However, things are different if it is just a suggestion.

[Ka Pilo]

In Reply to Parent Post by milagr

In our recent ISO 22000 audit we have been asked to have an emergency preparedeness plan for bioterrorism. We are a catering industry. any help is much appreciated. Thanks

It’s because contamination of the food supply can happen anywhere along the supply chain so it is good to develop emergency preparedness for bioterrorism. You may consider establishing controls on security system.
For example,
unauthorized access,
sabotage,
vandalism, etc

[bobdoering]

Outside of preventive measures, I think your biggest issues are going to be detection and containment. How would you know if your food became tainted? Do you track any government alerts? If you found that all of your food was contaminated, do you have enough capacity on hand to contain all of it (sealed bags, containers, etc.)? Do you have a predetermined source to use for disposal? The time to find that resource is before the event occurs.

....just some ideas.

[6thsense]

PAS 220 has an interesting section on Bioterrorism and may prove very helpful

[milagr]

Thank you !

In India am not aware of any alert system.

5.7 of the ISO 22000 standard states that the " top management shall establish, implement & maintain procedures to manage potential emergency situations and accidents that can impact food safety & which are relevantto the role of the organisation in the food chain.

having stated the clause we do not have many known cases on bioterrorism. Am trying to figure out how to address this as we don't have the expertise in finding out if the food is tainted

[harry]

In Reply to Parent Post by milagr

.................... Am trying to figure out how to address this as we don't have the expertise in finding out if the food is tainted

Spot on. Even countries in this region do not have such facilities and capability. Samples are usually sent to the CDC in US for further test - a process that may take a week or two. I always wonder why people talk about things that even their government can't handle.

However, many just use a paragraph or two of verbiage (in the form of a policy) to satisfy these people.

Biological tampering or terrorism involves the deliberate use of biological agent to spread disease-producing microbes (e.g. anthrax, cholera etc) or toxins (botulinum, ricin etc) in food, water or the atmosphere. These agents can be powders, liquids or in other forms. A biological agent will almost never cause immediate symptoms, as it takes time for the agent to grow or cause toxic effects. Because deliberate contamination of the nation’s food supply can happen anywhere along the food supply stream, food managers & workers play key role in minimizing these potential threats.

Preparedness paves the way to prevention. Develop a good food security system. Eliminate unauthorized access where food is open, vulnerable and easily targeted. Inspect incoming shipments for suspicious items. Report all unusual activity to authorities (unauthorized vehicles, people, theft, sabotage, vandalism etc).

Incidentally, bioterrorism is mentioned as an example in ISO 22004 - Guidance on the application of ISO 22000, Cl 5.7 Emergency Prepareness and response.

[milagr]

Thank you. I guess will have to write a paragraph to close it.