Which statement best describes food defense and its protective measures?

• A. A plan to prevent cross-contact between allergens
• B. A system to prevent accidental spoilage during storage
• C. Protecting the food supply from intentional harm; measures include restricted access, supplier verification, surveillance, tamper-evident packaging, and incident response
• D. A protocol for labeling foods with nutritional information

Answer: (C)

Food defense is about safeguarding the food supply from deliberate harm, such as tampering or sabotage. It focuses on deterring would-be intruders, detecting suspicious activity, and having a plan to respond quickly if something occurs. The protective measures described—restricting access to facilities and secure areas, verifying upstanding suppliers, using surveillance to monitor for unusual activity, applying tamper‑evident packaging, and maintaining an incident response plan—work together to minimize opportunities for tampering and to improve detection and response.

The other ideas describe allergen cross-contact prevention, preventing accidental spoilage during storage, and labeling for nutrition, which are not about protecting against intentional harm.