Assess the safety of our food supply

Overview: Food safety has become a major issue in the United States since September 11. Have students determine the ways in which food producers, food distributors and the U.S. government are dealing with food terrorism.

Curriculum Connections: Health, Life Skills, U.S. Government

Have students view the video,"Michael McManus takes a look at farm to market food safety concerns in the U.S." and answer the following questions:

1. Why has food protection become a major issue in the U.S. during the last seven months? What areas of America's food supply are most vulnerable to terrorism? What are food producers, food distributors and the U.S. government doing to protect the U.S. food supply?

2. Why would someone want to jeopardize the U.S. food supply? Have students create a flow chart that depicts how contamination of a specific food source could impact businesses and consumers.

3. Refer students to the links below to learn about what the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture are doing to protect the U.S. food supply against terrorism. Also, have students identify how consumers can protect themselves and their families from food tampering. After students share their findings, ask: What are the pros and cons of the FDA's new antiterrorist food safety guidelines for food producers, food distributors and consumers? What is your opinion of these guidelines and the actions that are being taken by the USDA to protect the U.S. food supply? Discuss.

Materials on this site are reproducible for classroom use.