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Food safetyTerm

Food defense

Food defense is protecting food and food businesses against intentional contamination or sabotage, for example by a disgruntled former employee, an activist or a criminal.

Explanation

Where food safety is about unintentional hazards such as bacteria, food defense is about deliberate acts intended to cause harm. You look at who has access to your site, raw materials, storage and process, and where someone could do something unseen.

A widely used approach is called TACCP (Threat Assessment Critical Control Points). You map threats, assess vulnerable points and choose control measures, such as access control, visitor registration, key control, camera surveillance, lockable storage and screening of staff and suppliers.

It differs from food fraud: that is about deception for financial gain, while food defense is about intentional harm. The measures partly overlap, such as access management and supplier management. Which requirements apply to you depends on your customers and on the scheme you work with.

Example from practice

A dairy producer checks who has access to the storage tanks, limits that to authorised employees and registers visitors and suppliers entering the production hall. Tank lids are locked and keys are controlled.

© 2026 BrydgeOne. General information, not legal or other professional advice. No rights can be derived from this explanation.

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