The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added two new food-related emergency exercises to its Food Related Emergency Exercise Bundle (FREE-B). The new exercises, “Wat’er You Thinking” and “Foul Fodder,” involve the possible contamination of a local water supply and the apparent tampering of animal feed.
FREE-B is a compilation of scenarios based on both intentional and unintentional food contamination events. The bundle helps public health professionals and other officials understand and coordinate their roles and responsibilities in advance of a food-related emergency. FREE-B is a partnership between FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The bundle includes eight different scenarios, each of which contain a facilitator’s guide, a lead planner’s guide, and a situation manual.