Join us for an in-depth session on the critical importance of developing and implementing a food defense plan to comply with the FSMA rule 21 CFR Part 121 (IA Rule): Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. This session will highlight the key benchmarks elements of a FSMA IA Rule compliant food defense plan, while touching on other elements that industry should be keeping an eye on in to the future. Additionally, you’ll hear from industry thought leaders on what their firms have developed to achieve compliance with food defense requirements of global schemes, as well. In today’s increasingly complex food production landscape, understanding and adhering to the FSMA Rule 21 CFR Part 121 is not just a regulatory obligation but a crucial step in ensuring the safety and trustworthiness of your food products – a critical leg in the Food Protection concept. The session begins with a thorough overview of this pivotal regulation, emphasizing the necessity of protecting against intentional adulteration designed to harm consumers. Several real life examples and resources will be shared to help you to understand the importance of and what could and has happened in the past. You will learn about the legal and regulatory implications this rule entails for food manufacturing facilities, ensuring your business stays compliant - and tips beyond the rule for measures that can be taken to secure your firm from cyber threats. In late 2023 the FDA announced that comprehensive food defense inspections – focusing on the effectiveness of the food defense plan – will begin in late 2024; this session will help you to understand and demonstrate the importance of building a robust, effective food defense plan and demonstrate how this is essential to protecting your products. You will be guided through the steps to create an effective plan – where several tools and resources will be discussed and shared - starting with identifying potential threats within your manufacturing site. From physical security measures - like basic access control measures from fences to procedural controls such as plant sign-in procedures and manned security, this session will provide practical strategies to mitigate risks.