HomeMy WebLinkAboutFood Management in a National Emergency 1969 FOOD
MANAGEMENT
IN A
NATIONAL
EMERGENCY
A GUIDE FOR
FOOD PROCESSORS
AND WHOLESALERS
USDA CONSUMER AND MARKETING SERVICE PA -572
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Management in a Food Industry Role
National Emergency Industry's role in a national emergency can be simply
stated: To continue to process, store and distribute food to
meet the Nation's'needs. No government agency can do, or
In two World Wars in this century, America's farmers is planning to do that job. Industry will, however, need
and the food industry met every challenge. The food certain kinds of help from government.
needed by civilians, the military, and our allies was Preparation for the industry role is a complex task
somehow produced, processed and distributed. Govern- requiring cooperative effort with USDA. All segments of
ment's role was to guide, coordinate and assist farmers and the food industry must know the national plans and
the food industry in that task. In the global conflict of objectives. Similarly, USDA needs to know more about the
1941 -45, especially, this teamwork enabled the United food industry and its capabilities and requirements. This
States to help feed great areas of the world and in addition includes:
to take care of its own people. • Food resource identification and evaluation —where
The same farm - industry - government teamwork would are the food facilities —what do they do where do
assure that we can do this essential job again should another they get raw material? Such data will help USDA
war occur. But the next war may bear little resemblance to make preliminary estimates of consumable food
anything we have known.
Today's weapons of war are sudden and devastating. supplies likely to be available as well as estimates of
There would likely be little or no time to gear up for actual food facility survival postattack.
emergency operations at even the astounding pace of World • Nonfood needs —the effect of loss or curtailment of
War II. From business as usual to the onset of nuclear the power, chemicals, repair parts, equipment,
attack could be a matter of hours. Or minutes. The time for water, fuel and myriad other goods and services used
planning a continuing supply of food for the Nation is now. by food processors and distributors.
Much has been done —but much, much more needs to be • Alternative means of maintaining processing and •
done. distribution — exploration of such devices as formula
changes to conserve scarce ingredients, substitution
Assumptions of alternative foods, stockpiling of potentially scarce
foods or fuels, and other means of keeping the food
No one knows the exact situation this Nation would face plant operative.
following a nuclear attack. However, to help in planning for • To be able to deal with food processing and
emergency food management and in building an organiza-
tion that could begin to operate with little or no startup distribution problems during an emergency, data and
time, some assumptions have been made, based on what we information of the sort outlined above must be
know about nuclear weapons. We must assume: developed during "the pre- emergency period." This
requires cooperation between industry and USDA.
• Widespread disruption of transportation and com-
munications, forcing many areas of the countr! to
operate independently for varying lengths of time. USDA Emergency Organization
And it's unlikely that damaged areas would conform USDA has a field organization learning how to handle
with existing State, county or even city boundaries. food production and supply- management problems a nu-
• Even in areas where there is little or no destruction, clear attack could bring on. Agencies of the U. S.
radioactive fallout or lack of fuel or power might Department of Agriculture have been assigned emergency
make processing plants and other food facilities duties akin to their regular functions. USDA State and
unusable for some period of time. Stored food, even County Defense Boards have been established to function
when protected from fallout and thus safe for use, on their own in an emergency when communications are
might be inaccessible for some time. cut off. USDA is working closely with State governments,
• In total, enough food probably would be on producer groups, and more and more with agri- business
leaders in this effort.
hand —the big problem would be one of getting it The Executive Directors of the Agricultural Stabilization
from where it is stored or processed to where it is and Conservation Service State offices are Chairmen of the
needed when it is needed. USDA State Defense Boards. ASCS county office managers
• In short, the food management problem after a serve as USDA County Defense Board Chairmen. Members
nuclear attack would be to conserve food that of the boards at both levels include local Federal or
survives, process it, and move it to where it is needed Federal -State employees of major agencies of USDA in the
under conditions never before encountered. locality.
Food Management Responsibilities of USDA
Emergency "food management" responsibilities of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture have been assigned by the
Secretary to the Consumer and Marketing Service (C &MS).
Basically, the C &MS job is to preplan how best to conserve
food, get it processed, and properly distributed after an
attack on the United States, and to help restore processing,
storage, handling and distribution facilities to keep food
moving. -
The C &MS part of the job starts at the farm gate and
extends through the wholesaler level in the distribution
chain. By agreement, a part of these responsibilities will be
shared with State governments in some States. Generally,
however, the State and local governments will be concerned
principally with distribution of food at the retail level, and
with development of consumer rationing or other programs
to assure equitable sharing of consumers' supplies.
Objectives
The emergency preparedness program of USDA has the
following basic objectives:
• To develop plans for the conservation, efficient
processing, and orderly and equitable distribution
and use of food under emergency conditions.
• • Through guidance and training, to develop in the
USDA emergency organization a capability to ad-
minister
the food management program.
• To disseminate information to the food industry on
the role it would play in an emergency to keep food
moving through distribution channels.
Food Management Plans
USDA's Consumer and Marketing Service has develo'ed
some fundamental approaches to food management in an
emergency. In keeping with the assumptions and objectives,
the C &MS preparedness effort is directed toward develop -
1 ment of (1) an increasing knowledge of the food industry,
existing marketing practices and normal distribution chan-
nels, (2) an understanding of the impact of a nuclear attack
on this food complex, and (3) a capability to deal with the
emergency problems an attack would create.
The "perfect" food management plan has not been
developed —it may never be developed. But the greater the
effort to construct good plans now, the better able we'll be
to cope with situations that would arise. What we learn
from study and thinking now will be of assistance in the
improvisation and invention necessary to keep food moving
following a nuclear attack.
The impact of a nuclear attack on the Nation would
preclude the operation of centrally directed national
programs of the type employed in World War II. Also, the
unequal impact of an attack on different geographic areas Processors and distributors will establish "bases"
would call for variations in program requirements, depend- for their customers and will supply those customers
ing on severity of attack damage, level and accessibility of in accordance with criteria and limitations estab-
surviving food supplies, and other factors. This situation lished by County and State Defense Boards. The
would call for a flexible program, adaptable to administra- boards will adjust bases and distribution rates as
tion at whatever level of government might be dictated by dictated by emergency conditions and overall supply
postattack conditions. Thus, initial guidance and direction limitations.
of food processing and distribution probably would come Provision will be made to assure the military
from USDA State or County Defense Boards. Common- establishment of adequate supplies of food. To the
sense principles that would guide their operations include extent possible, normal sources of supply would be
the following: utilized.
The Food Order and Suborders provide the
• First using the perishable, frozen foods lacking flexibility needed during the period immediately
refrigeration, and damaged foods for which the best following an attack to deal with the variable supply
salvage is immediate consuption. levels and differing postattack environment in dif-
• Conservation of food in the national interest would ferent geographic areas.
be vital in areas able to function normally, or nearly • Procurement - USDA would do some buying for
so. Conversion of perishable commodities to storable allies or other government agencies, and perhaps to
items would be considered when feasible. supply mass feeding centers. Military procurement
• Maximum use of locally- produced foods in all areas would be done with USDA cooperation and assist -
would be necessary to conserve labor, fuels and ance.
transportation. • Requisitioning - Generally, requisitioning of food by
• Maximum distribution levels for consumer food USDA would be limited to situations in which the
rationing during the immediate postattack period owners of badly- needed food are dead, missing, or
would be established by State and local govern- beyond reach by available communications. The
ments, further providing for the conservation and requisitions thus would relieve warehousemen and
equitable distribution of the food supply among the carriers of responsibility to the owner and guarantee
surviving population. payment of all proper charges.
State and County Defense Boards would carry out • Guarantee of Payment USDA is exploring a means
necessary food management programs through the food of guaranteeing payment to sellers for food delivered
industry. Key elements in the food management program as authorized. Suppliers to food handling facilities
include: would need similar guarantees. This would be a
practical way of helping the food industry perform
• Standby Defense Food Order - The principal tool or its emergency function.
mechanism available is a standby defense food order Industry and government working together can —and
known as Defense Food Order No. 2 (DFO No. 2). will —meet the challenge. The C &MS office with which you
By design, the Order encourages and allows food deal regularly will be glad to discuss your problems with
processors and wholesalers (including chain store you and give you further detailed information as it becomes
warehouses) to serve their regular customers —to the available.
extent possible —with a minimum of regulation and
control. Revised July 1969
Those controls determined to be needed will be
carried out through Suborders. Suborders would be NOTE: If it should ever be necessary to use the
used to limit the use of food and ingredients, to Standby Defense Food Order described above, its
limit distribution, and to provide for other measures effectiveness will depend, at least in part, on the
as necessary. extent to which the Order and the role of individual
The Order and Suborders will be issued and food concerns are understood. Accordingly, copies of
administered by County Defense Boards when lack the Order have been widely distributed through food
of adequate communications precludes direction by trade organizations. Additional copies can be ob-
State Defense Boards. However, State Defense tained by writing the Defense Programs Branch,
Boards will assume direction as soon as possible. Transportation and Warehouse Division, Consumer
Similarly, when conditions permit, a more coordi- and Marketing Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.
nated national program will replace the more frag- 20250.
mented, but necessary, county and State programs.
* GPO : 1969 0 - 352 -768
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