WASHINGTON – The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) recently entered a strategic partnership with the Food and Agriculture - Information Sharing Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC). IDFA said working with the non-profit will bolster the dairy industry’s defenses against cyber criminals.

Food and Ag-ISAC provides threat intelligence, analysis and security practices that help food and agriculture companies through detecting attacks, responding to incidents and sharing indicators.

IDFA noted cyber crimes against food companies have become more commonplace in recent years, pointing to cyber attacks against dairy businesses that resulted in costs, disruptions and risks to personnel and food safety.

With the Food and Ag-ISAC partnership in place, IDFA said its members will receive regular briefings on cyber threats, as well as updates regarding best practices and access to new resources that bolster cyber defenses.

“IDFA is pleased to partner with the industry leader in cyber threat analysis and sharing to bring more resources to our members as they seek the most up-to-date information on cyber threats,” said Michael Dykes, IDFA’s president and chief executive officer.

“It is clear that cyber criminals have a spotlight on dairy companies,” Dykes added. “We need to look to always stay two steps ahead of these actors, and we can do that if we work together, share information, and share best practices for thwarting efforts to disrupt our businesses. IDFA urges dairy companies of all sizes to act with vigilance and take advantage of the resources provided by IDFA’s new partnership with Food and Ag-ISAC.”

Scott Algeier, executive director for the Food and Ag-ISAC, said maintaining a safe, secure and resilient farm-to-table supply chain depends on individual decisions at countless companies.

“We are excited about this partnership with IDFA, as they will help us share critical threat intelligence and effective mitigation strategies with the dairy industry to help it manage the array of threats it faces,” Algeier said.

The organizations already published a cybersecurity guide for small- and medium-sized dairy businesses that can be accessed online through IDFA’s website. 

Formerly a special interest group within the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Food and Ag-ISAC launched this past May, with a revised purpose to serve food and agriculture companies by providing vendor-neutral threat analysis, establishing peer-to-peer intelligence sharing, and driving informed risk management.

Previous IDFA efforts focused on cybersecurity include its Dairy Technology and Innovation Network, which formed in 2021. IDFA also partnered with Ever.Ag to host DairyTech conferences with cybersecurity focuses in 2022 and 2023. Plus, IDFA hosts webinars and virtual programming so dairy companies can stay up to speed on the threat of cyber attacks and best practices.