Bob McCarty Writes

Today, I learned the 2008 International Cheese Technology Expo will take place at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisc., April 22-24. In perusing the organization’s web site, I also learned something disturbing: the names of two major players in the cheese industry with whom I’ve attempted to communicate via e-mail during the past year are absent from the list of organizations exhibiting at the expo.

What disturbs me about their absence is related directly to the subject of my e-mail messages — that is, their possible involvement in counter-terrorism efforts in the United States and Scotland.

Perhaps, some background info might help you understand my concerns more clearly:

Nine months ago, I learned about terrorists conducting so-called “dry runs” on commercial aircraft, using blocks of cheese to simulate explosives as a way of testing airport security. Soon afterward, I published a post, Terrorists Recognize ‘Power of Cheese’, in which I recounted my e-mail effort to find out whether the American Dairy Association was involved in any way with Homeland Security’s efforts to combat terrorism. [Note: Representatives of the ADA refused to confirm or deny their organization's involvement in any counter-terrorism efforts.]

Three months later, I learned of the existence of a web site known as Cheddarvision.tv and, in turn, contacted Scotland’s Farmhouse Cheesemakers by e-mail to find out whether or not the Scottish cheesemaker was involved in some super-secret counter-terrorism effort (See Is ‘Cheddarvision’ Part of Counter-Terrorism Effort?). [Note: Representatives of Farmhouse Cheesemakers also refused to confirm or deny their company's involvement in any counter-terrorism efforts.]

While neither the ADA nor Farmhouse Cheesemakers appear on the list of exhibitors of the Wisconsin cheese event — arguably the premiere cheese industry event of the year — hundreds of “cheeseheads” will.

In 2006, 223 companies involved in the manufacture, processing and packaging of cheese and related dairy products attended the ICTE, according to the cheese expo web site, and they came from 33 states and 12 foreign countries.

So, were my suspicions on target? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.