Malicious tampering standard revised

01-Dec-2014 - Last updated on 01-Dec-2014 at 12:26 GMT

Tesco helped craft the revised standard

Tesco, Sainsbury and Heineken UK were among those involved in revising the industry standard that safeguards food and drink against malicious tampering from terrorists and other criminals.

The Business Standards Institution’s (BSI’s) Publicly Available Specification (PAS) Defending food and drink was first published in 2008 as a guide to Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedures. These help identify and manage risks in supply chains.

The threat of deliberate attack, although not new, was growing with the changing political climate and ideological groups could see the food and drink chain as a target for criminal activity, said the BSI.

Reputational damage

The organisation said food firms faced risks from such activity ranging from compensating customers to trade embargoes imposed by trading partners and long-term reputational damage.

“It is not just events such as the horsemeat scandal and the subsequent Elliot Review that bring the need for clarity in the food supply chain,” said David Fatscher, head of market development for sustainability at BSI.

“As issues such as food terrorism become more of a reality, businesses need to be extra vigilant and confident that they have set up the basic practices on keeping their supply chains sabotage free.

‘Minimise risks’

“PAS 96 was specifically designed to minimise the risks associated with deliberate attack, enabling businesses to stay one step ahead and not suffer damage to their reputations.”

The revision of PAS 96 includes the introduction of the Threat Assessment Critical Control Points (TACCP) risk management methodology, aimed at helping businesses avoid and mitigate supply chain threats.

PAS 96 was sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standards Agency.