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Abstract
My purpose is to consider how the events of September 11, 2001 have changed how we think about the world food system and the possibilities for agro-bioterrorism. I will divide them into three categories: direct threats to the world food system from agro-bioterrorism; market and development assistance disruptions arising from terrorist and anti-terrorist activity; and broader and longer term shifts in the political economy of international agriculture due to the emergence of a recognized global terrorist threat. I conclude that agro-bioterrorism is a real threat, but more to markets than to human health. Moreover, responses to this threat are likely to reinforce ongoing improvements in food inspection, identity preservation, and safety measures.