The British food industry is a "very attractive target" for terrorist attacks according to M15, a report revealed today.
Police have spoken to every sector of the British food industry, including factories and distributors, in an attempt to prevent terrorist plots.
M15 director-general Elizabeth Manningham-Buller revealed fears in a speech to the City of London police, that al-Qaeda could target supermarkets.
According to the report, Manningham-Buller said a series of industries had been warned to protect themselves from possible attacks. She said industries and the public needed to take grater responsibility in protecting against terrorism from al-Qaeda.
The communications, transport, fuel and energy industries have been given security advice by Special Branch and M15 for many years, but this is the first time such advice has been extended to the food industry, the report said.
"The changed nature of the threat has meant that we need to extend that advice to new sectors such as the chemical and food industry which today may present a very attractive target for terrorists," said Manningham-Buller.
The Food and Drink Federation said it had received no specific warnings of a threat to the public, the report concluded.
