This is from FDA's Vulnerability Assessments of Food Systems in 2012
"A detailed analysis of CARVER+Shock results from vulnerability assessment meetings conducted under this, and prior efforts, was performed. This analysis was aimed at determining characteristics of nodes, such as commonalities in activities performed, that could be used to identify nodes of potentially higher risk and enable the FDA to provide mitigation guidance and public health regulation focusing on higher risk nodes. This analysis provided information on how best to develop an integrated national framework to reduce the risks at nodes that 11 commonly were identified as of highest concern. This analysis will help the FDA and industry to more appropriately institute guidance and standards to improve food defense.
Nodes which contained steps where ingredients were mixed or added to a mixture frequently were identified high risk. The potential to add an agent to these types of processing steps and have that agent homogeneously mixed within the food product caused high levels of concern. More stringent mitigation steps may need to be employed at these areas to mitigate the risk at these nodes. Likewise, nodes where liquid ingredients were handled or stored were also commonly identified as high risk. The potential for a threat agent to mix within a liquid ingredient is high, even if no active agitation or mixing is conducted. Liquid storage tanks and other types of handling of liquid ingredients (such as loading or receiving) should be a focus for mitigation measures. Nodes where ingredients are open and accessible also were of higher concern. Ingredient staging or rework areas may provide an attacker with easier access to open ingredients and increase the risk of adulteration. Mitigation measure focused on securing or observing of these areas should be considered."
Marshall