Are Terrorists Targeting Your Food?
Terrorists have long eyed America's food chain as a soft and inviting target. More than one counterterrorism official has described the food supply, "as one of the most vulnerable and least protected parts of the United States critical infrastructure."
Confiscated al Qaeda manuals have noted that attacks on the US agriculture/processing sector could cause the kind of severe economic damage terrorists dream about.
Foot and mouth disease is a prime example. While the virus that causes foot and mouth was eradicated in the US in 1929, it flourishes in much of the world. Safety experts say it would be a snap for a terrorist or, for that matter, an unwitting tourist to import the virus from an infected area on clothing or shoes.
If the highly contagious virus were to be turned loose in a heard of US cattle it would spread like the proverbial wildfire. By some estimates a single outbreak of foot and mouth would force officials to destroy millions of cattle and the damage to the US farm economy would run into the tens of billions of dollars.
The really frightening thing is that once a bio-agent is introduced the germs move faster than investigators. We don't often find out about an outbreak of E-Coli or salmonella until well after people start getting sick.
Now, we're not spilling any secrets to terrorists. They already know about these vulnerabilities, but food safety experts say we should all be heads up.
Vigilance is a primary defense.
Tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, we'll also take a look at a new way scientists are preparing to help defend the food supply. We'll give you a behind the scenes look at a yet-to-be-opened Agriculture Biosecurity Center at Kansas State University – a facility that's now on the front lines of the food-related risks most of us rarely think about.
Overall, our food supply remains the safest in the world. And scientists say Americans should shop at supermarkets or dine at restaurants with a high degree of confidence. But, the fact terrorists have even thought about vulnerabilities should force the rest of us to think about solutions. Hopefully our story will add something to the public's awareness.