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Food defence – also a major challenge in terms of communication

Food defense protects the food supply from deliberate attacks such as sabotage or contamination. Companies must implement preventive measures, establish crisis management, and ensure quick, clear communication in case of an incident. This demonstrates responsibility and protects the reputation.

Felix von Esebeck
13. January 2025
Food-Kommunikation

The food industry is an essential part of our critical infrastructure – and therefore also a potential target for deliberate attacks. Whether through sabotage, targeted contamination or disruptions in the supply chain, such incidents often pose an invisible but real threat. In an increasingly tense security situation, characterised by new threats such as cyberattacks and acts of sabotage, protecting our food supply is becoming ever more important.

The prevention of such deliberate contamination is summarised under the term food defence. This is different from Food Safety and Food Quality, which deal with unintentional adulteration of products and are usually the cause of product recalls. However, food fraud is also conceivable, e.g. the deliberate use of undeclared ingredients in products. The case of undeclared horsemeat in 2013, which spread across half of Europe, has become well known.

You have to set up your own defences

Food defence is an integral part of food safety standards such as IFS or BRC. As a company, you are therefore required to take appropriate (preventative) measures in terms of food defence yourself. The checklist from the BfR – German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is a good guide here. The BfR develops expert opinions and statements, including on food safety, based on internationally recognised scientific criteria.

Who else is important?

  • Another relevant authority is the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). The BVL develops strategies to prevent crises and, in the event of an emergency, helps to reduce potential risks for consumers and minimise economic damage. The BVL therefore closely monitors potential triggers of crises and develops methods to identify risks at an early stage.
  • In Germany, responsibility for official food monitoring lies with the federal states. The food monitoring and veterinary offices of the districts and independent cities take samples on site and inspect businesses along the food chain: from producers and manufacturers to the storage, transport and sale of food as well as the catering trade.
  • In recent years, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has focused on the prevention of bioterrorist threats in the area of food defence and is developing strategies to improve food defence.

Perpetrators often ‘only’ want to cause damage

In the past, there have been many cases of blackmail, i.e. perpetrators poisoning food or threatening to do so to obtain large sums of money. Often, the perpetrators are not motivated by money, but merely by the desire to cause damage. In 2018, for example, pins were found in food such as toast, pasta or sausage.

Fortunately, no one was injured. In addition to consumers, the manufacturers of the products themselves are also at risk from such offences. If products are no longer purchased for fear of further manipulations, there is a risk of economic damage – especially if the perpetrators are not caught quickly enough. If the sabotage was carried out by an employee of the company, the consequences are even greater. A long-term loss of reputation is to be expected.

But how do I deal with such a risk as a company – especially in terms of communication?

  1. Check (see above) whether your protective measures are sufficient – if not, make sure they are improved. IFS certification includes a food defence officer. Such a certification is therefore worthwhile if you want to show internally and externally: We do everything we can to prevent.
  2. Crisis management: Clear procedures for crisis situations are essential, especially in such an event. Crisis team, allocation of roles, early co-operation with food monitoring in the event of suspicion.
  3. Prepare a strategy: Fast but at the same time correct communication is central in the event of food sabotage. Close coordination with the authorities should also take place here. The same applies to informing employees, customers and consumers if goods that may have been affected have been placed on the market. The communication strategy should be planned in advance and reviewed regularly.

Simulate an emergency: A crisis simulation with a food sabotage helps to evaluate whether points 1-3 have been created accurately – or whether they need to be tightened up. This is essential to ensure that the processes mesh perfectly in an actual crisis.

Nationwide crises: Responsibility for food distribution

In the event of a national crisis, the federal government is responsible and in charge of measures to secure supplies in crisis situations. The Food Security and Precautionary Measures Act (ESVG) has created the instruments for this. The ESVG authorises the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) to issue regulations on the production, procurement or allocation of food in the event of an emergency. The competent authorities, including the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), are given temporary, direct powers of intervention to enable them to react quickly. In this way, available food is to be distributed quickly, evenly and safely despite any failure of critical infrastructure (energy, transport, labour). The federal states implement the ESVG as a separate matter and determine the authorities responsible for its implementation.

In Bavaria, for example, the following authorities are responsible for food emergency preparedness (Ernährungsnotfallvorsorge)

 

Food sabotage cannot be ruled out 100%. Whether these are carried out by individual offenders or criminal groups: It is essential for your reputation to show: ‘We do everything we can to prevent such cases as best we can or, in the event of an incident, to resolve them as quickly as possible in cooperation with the authorities.’

Engel & Zimmermann will be happy to support you in setting up your food defence with excellent communication.

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