Constituent Update

July 13, 2023

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security made available the 120 Day Food and Agriculture Interim Risk Review, which provides a review of critical and emergent risks to the U.S. Food and Agriculture sector, as well as ways to mitigate those risks. This review will help inform the Federal Risk Mitigation Strategy, as outlined in the National Security Memorandum-16 (NSM-16).

The review includes proposed short-term, mid-term and long-term actions for improved coordination and integration within the Food and Agriculture Sector in strategic planning, information sharing and engagement, and understanding of sector risks. Some of the proposed actions include:

• Identify communication gaps;
• Take actions to improve information sharing on threats; and
• Convene a Food and Agriculture Defense Summit.

The National Security Mamorandum-16, signed by President Biden in November 2022, is intended to strengthen the security and resilience of the food and agriculture sector by:

• Identifying and assessing threats of greatest consequence;
• Strengthening partnerships to enhance the resilience of the workforce; and
• Enhancing preparedness and response.

Protecting the nation’s food and agriculture supply against domestic and global threats is an important responsibility shared by federal and state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, private sector partners and academia.