INTRODUCTION 



It is impossible to foresee when mankind will be 

 relieved of the threat of nuclear warfare. The new 

 dimension of destruction which burst up>on the world 

 in 1945 has grown more imposing through the years. 

 Masters of defense are hard-pressed to devise antidotes 

 for the staggering power of nuclear weapons. 



The tremendous scope of these weapons and their 

 multiple effects do not render the cause of survival 

 hopeless, however. Effective defenses against some of 

 the effects of nuclear attack are availiJjle. Even 

 though a full-scale attack would cause many casualties, 

 this Nation and its people have in their hands and 

 hearts the tools to survive. 



The most important tools are an ability to face the 

 threat squarely, the determination to prepare for it, 

 and a unity of purpose. Nowhere is it more impor- 

 tant that these tools be utilized than in the food indus- 

 try, whose continued operation in an emergency cer- 

 tainly would be one of the most critical ingredients in 

 the Nation's ability to survive. 



Despair would be a natural reaction in the wake of 

 overwhelming nuclear disaster. But businessmen gen- 

 erally, and food plant operators particularly, could not 

 afford the luxury of abandoning their responsibilities 

 under such circumstances. The continuation of post- 

 attack food plant operations is essential not only to the 

 welfare of the owners, employees and their families, but 

 also to the well-being of the community and the Nation. 



Few industries have the opfwrtunity to serve the 

 national emergency planning effort in as basic a way as 

 the food industry. In the recovery period following a 

 nuclear attack, the people would be most concerned 

 with survival, food and shelter. The ability of the food 

 industry to recover quickly from the effects of attack 

 and resume its feeding of the papulation would be one 

 of the best assurances for survival and recovery. 



It should be obvious, therefore, that there is a press- 

 ing need in the food industry for careful survival plan- 

 ning and continuing cooperation with the local. State 

 and Federal governments in preparing a national sur- 

 vival program. This Guide is designed to encourage 

 and assist the food plant operator in carrying out those 

 survival preparations which are essential to his own 

 welfare, his community's and the Nation's. 



Throughout this Guide, references will be made to 

 '■food plants," "food concerns" and "food companies." 

 These terms mean any concern engaged in the proc- 

 essing, storage, or distribution of food. The informa- 

 tion in this Guide is directed at that phase of the food 

 industry's operations which precedes the retailing of 

 food products. It is this phase — the processing and 

 handling of the food from the farm gate through the 

 wholesaler — that is the concern of the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service 

 (AMS). The emergency distribution of food to con- 

 sumers will be primarily the States' responsibilities, 

 with assistance from the Federal Government as 

 necessary. 



While this Guide deals to a great extent 

 with the concept of sizable emergency 

 forces in a food facility, it should not be 

 assumed that it is designed solely for the 

 large processor with a variety of facilities 

 and bountiful resources. On the contrary, 

 the steps outlined are actions which should 

 be taken in some degree by all food con- 

 cerns, large and small, regardless of geo- 

 graphic location. Each food plant man- 

 ager must, in the final analysis, determine 

 the feasibility and value of each step in his 

 own operation. If he has a small com- 

 pany — and the majority of the Nation's 

 food processing firms are small — his prep- 

 arations will necessarily be less elaborate 

 than those of a large company operating 

 many plants throughout the country. How- 

 ever, the principles of preparedness in this 

 Guide apply to all companies. 



No matter how small or how remote a food plant 

 may be from a probable enemy target, the manager 

 should give serious thought to each of the areas of 

 preparation outlined in this Guide. If his studv does 

 nothing more than convince him that he is well pre- 

 pared in certain respects, this knowledge will enable 

 him to plan more confidently for the future, and to 

 direct his emergency" preparedness efforts to areas 

 which need further attention. 



