WHO publishes guidance to minimise both terrorist and unintentional threats to food

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidance to help national governments minimise terrorist threats to food by integrating the mechanisms which manage outbreaks of both unintentional and deliberate foodborne diseases and contamination (1,2). The need for guidance was raised during the 55th World Health Assembly in May 2002, and Terrorist threats to food: guidance for establishing and strengthening prevention and response systems (www.who.int/fsf) is a response to recent increasing concern worldwide about the possible use of chemical, biological or radionuclear (CBRN) agents against civilian populations.