Food and Beverage Plant Security More Important Now Than Ever Before

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Today, food plant security is more important than ever before. The urgency and importance of security, from the farm to the table, continues to grow at a dramatic rate, and better ways of protecting the food supply from agroterrorism will be studied and implemented over the next few years.

There are three basic principles to look at when evaluating a plant site for food security: personnel, product, and property. An increase in up-front screening and supervision of employees helps to insure that the people working inside the plant are not a risk to product tampering and mishandling. The product itself needs more control over access in production and distribution, and the property needs strong barriers and security systems to fend off possible intruders. Plant sites need to be lighted and locked and have limited access.

Because 100% security does not exist, plant owners must manage risk. At the moment, facilities need to asses and evaluate current food handling practices, to identify weaknesses and take corrective action and implement appropriate and effective controls.

The USDA has also recently announced a new initiative, in collaboration with the FDA, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and private industry, to protect the nation's food and agriculture supply from possible terrorist threats. Over the next year, teams of federal and state officials will travel to all fifty states to meet with every sector of the food chain to talk about security and consider ways to better safeguard our food supply.

Companies providing security consulting and equipment will benefit from the protection upgrading trend, as well. Plant owners will spend an undetermined amount of capital dollars in the future, as they budget to purchase security gear, consulting, and monitoring services. New plants, as well as current operational facilities, will be hot targets for companies in the security industry.

According to information extracted from Industrialinfo.com's project database, nearly 250 new or grassroot projects are currently planned in the Food & Beverage Industry in the United States, and another 101 are now under construction. All of these facilities will be outfitted with some type of security measures, be it state-of-the-art technology or a simple perimeter cyclone fence with a locking gate.

If you are looking for opportunities at the 6,125 major operational plants in the U.S. Food & Beverage Industry database, Industrialinfo.com can provide industrial project leads, Plant Profiles®, Market Analysis and Forecasts, Database Products and Services, and Data Solutions designed to streamline marketing and sales activities. The market intelligence products provided by Industrialinfo.com are based on value-added information derived from actual market surveys performed by highly-skilled market research staff. The information provided by Industrialinfo.com is accurate and timely, due to stringent quality control measures applied to actual verification and validation methodology, along with periodical updates performed throughout the year.

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