Defending the Military Food Supply Acquisition, Preparation, and Protection of Food at U.S. Military Installations

Abstract : As the world becomes smaller, the presence of U.S. military forces in foreign countries is likely to continue. The ongoing military engagements in both Iraq and Afghanistan have taught us that U.S. troops stationed abroad are attractive targets for hostile governments, organizations, and individuals. A safe food supply is a core capability required for sustaining a military presence in a foreign country. While there are limited examples of attempts to poison the military food supply, one cannot ignore the fact that contaminated food could rapidly and effectively reduce the combat readiness of American forces. Most Americans assume that the United States food supply is both safe and secure. However, in January 2009, 31 million pounds of peanut butter and peanut paste produced by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) were recalled due to over 600 confirmed cases of Salmonella. Not surprisingly, PCA filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. This incident, in addition to other recent outbreaks of pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella has raised doubts about food safety. Moreover, these epidemics have highlighted the fact that food produced domestically (as was the case with PCA and with E. coli tainted spinach from California in the fall of 2006)4 and imported from abroad (Salmonella contaminated Serrano peppers from Mexico in the summer of 2008)5 can be an effective vector for illness.