Front-Line Employee's Role in Food Defense

Front-line Employees are Vital to Food Defense!

The front-line employees from farm-to-fork are the "hands-on" people who actually have contact with the food, and are familiar with the proper measures to safeguard the food for food safety and food defense purposes. Proper measures for food defense include mitigation strategies, which are the measures put in place to significantly reduce the likelihood of a successful intentional adulteration. In many cases it is the front-line employee who is responsible for implementing these mitigation strategies. If a specific mitigation strategy has been put in place at a processing step, it is the responsibility of the front-line employee working at that step to ensure this measure is being consistently and properly implemented. Therefore, as a front-line employee, you play a critical role in recognizing when something appears wrong. If you see something unusual or suspicious, it is your responsibility to report the incident.