Symposium on risk in supply chains

This white paper is based on a variety of discussions from a 2005 symposium of the Product Surety Center (PSC), a resource center for industries and government agencies involved in ensuring the security and safety of products. The white paper is a compilation of notes and quoted text from talks given at the symposium. The meeting aimed to address what it characterized as an overlooked player in U.S. safety and security -- the private sector and its global supply chains. While government preparedness is vital, the scope of most safety and security strategies is incomplete without including how commerce and industry fit into the picture.

The Food and Drug Administration recognizes the need to do more than simply draw a line in the sand at our borders and ports relying only on traditional inspection and investigation methods. Preventing illicit or unsafe products from entering the U.S. requires knowing much more about those products' origins and distribution. Securing products at the borders entails supply chain scrutiny, including business practices, protective technologies and other factors to determine the likelihood of a product's safety or vulnerability during its life cycle.

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