Posted by Zosi Learning
Protecting your food operation from intentional harm isn’t optional—it’s essential. With increasing threats from food tampering, sabotage, and agroterrorism, every facility needs a well-defined plan to detect, deter, and defend against these risks.
That’s why Zosi Learning’s Food Defense Courses were designed to give you more than just theory, they give you the practical tools and confidence to build a proactive, compliant, and culture-driven food defense strategy.
Here’s how the courses empower you to take action:
Evaluate Your Threats and Vulnerabilities
You can’t protect what you haven’t assessed. Zosi’s course teaches you how to identify threats within your operation where actionable control measures can be implemented to protect your products and your brand from intentional harm. You’ll learn:
- How to perform a vulnerability assessment (also known as a threat assessment in GFSI benchmarked certification programs such as SQF, BRCGS, and FSSC 22000)
- What types of threats (internal and external) you should prepare for
- How to prioritize areas of risk based on impact and likelihood
By the end, you’ll know exactly where you’re exposed and how to begin closing the gaps.
Design and Deploy Effective Mitigation
Knowing your risks is only the first step. You also need strategies to stop threats before they happen. The course covers:
- Physical controls (e.g., locks, cameras, restricted access)
- Procedural controls (e.g., visitor check-ins, staff screening)
- Technology tools to monitor and verify mitigation efforts
- Best practices for tamper-evident packaging and secure storage
You’ll be able to choose and implement cost-effective, tailored defenses that fit your facility without overcomplicating operations.
Train Your Team
Food defense isn’t just about doors and locks, it’s about people. Your frontline employees are often your first line of defense, and their awareness through a strong food defense culture can make the difference between a contained issue and a full-blown crisis.
Zosi’s course walks you through how to:
- Deliver food defense training that sticks
- Build a “see something, say something” culture
- Prepare supervisors and leads to respond to red flags
- Reinforce accountability across departments
By creating a vigilant, well-informed team, you dramatically reduce the chance of successful tampering. Don’t forget to ask about our team discounts!
For facilities that currently fall under 21 CFR 121 (Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration), this training helps satisfy the “food defense awareness” training that is required per 21 CFR 121.4 (b)(2).
Learn more about FDQI’s in our Understanding the Role of the Food Defense Qualified Individual (FDQI) Under FSMA blog.
Build, Document, Test, and Maintain a Comprehensive Plan
Compliance is more than checking a box—it’s about being ready. Zosi Learning’s food defense courses provide step-by-step guidance to help you:
- Build a written food defense plan aligned with FSMA’s Intentional Adulteration Rule (21 CFR 121 – Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration).
- Assign clear roles and responsibilities
- Prepare for audits and inspections with proper documentation
- Test your plan through drills and corrective action reviews
- Maintain and update your plan annually—or when operations change
Whether you’re starting from scratch or improving an existing program, the course ensures you have a robust, living food defense plan that’s ready for anything.
Your Next Step: Start Now
Whether you’re a QA professional, plant manager, or corporate food safety leader, Zosi Learning’s Food Defense Courses give you the clarity and confidence to lead food defense initiatives effectively. They are designed to be:
- Self-paced and mobile-friendly
- Regulatory and certification standard aligned, covering FSMA, USDA, and GFSI standards
- Practical, with real-world examples and checklists
- Accessible, for any size team or facility
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Intentional food contamination doesn’t just affect your product—it damages your reputation, revenue, and customer trust.
Start today… Defend your food. Protect your people. Strengthen your brand.
Explore Zosi’s Food Defense Courses Now »
