Following September 11, 2001, attention has focused on the risk of bioterrorism threats, particularly with regard to the nation's food supply.

• In the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, the U.S. Congress assigned DHHS/FDA responsibility for a wide-ranging program to protect the American public from attacks on the food supply.
  
  
• Additional presidential directives identified specific infrastructure components that may be vulnerable to attack, and the necessary federal response required to protect these components.