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The government, military, and private sectors in the United States have invested significantly into developing and implementing biowarfare-monitoring systems (e.g., the Laboratory Response Network and BioWatch). But such systems have come at the expense of lax food and environmental safety monitoring. The public has certainly been affected by the frequency and severity of the daily impact of food- and waterborne pathogens. For example, in 2007, salmonella detected in spinach and peanut butter, and botulinum in chili and pet food led to significant recalls. Recently, E. coli fears prompted the recall of more than 21 million pounds of ground beef (the second-largest in U.S. history) and forced a meat company to close after 67 years in business. A 2006 recall involved spinach tainted with E. coli that killed three people and infected 200. CDC estimates that approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses occur each year in the United States. In addition, upwards of 2 million people become ill each year as a result of drinking contaminated water. Despite the myriad of technologies for food and water safety monitoring and pathogen detection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Washington, DC) and FDA (Rockville, MD) have used them haphazardly. While recent incidents have garnered the public’s desire for increased surveillance of the food supply, one lingering perception in the food industry has been that consumers should address many safety issues with proper handling techniques. This perception has reaffirmed the decisions by government entities to limit developing food and water surveillance technologies, and focus greater attention and resources on monitoring aerosol biothreats. Indeed, the release