food fraud (188)

8941560658?profile=RESIZE_400x

The virtual Food Integrity 2021 Conference on 19-23 April was great success with almost 2000 participants from over 85 countries. Prof Chris Elliott discusses the very important take home messages particularly on food fraud. In this article, he summarise them, firstly as an aide memoire and secondly, so progress in tackling food fraud can be addressed in about a year’s time at the 2022 Food Integrity Conference.

Read the article here

Read more…

8917937480?profile=RESIZE_400x

The report gives evidence of the illegal trade of wild caught sturgeon in the lower region of the Danube specifically in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine. Because sturgeon is an endangered species, the trade in both wild and aquaculture fish and its products (primarily caviar) is regulated through CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). The project looked at official data of enforcement on illegal fishing activities. It also carried out a market survey from October 2016 to July 2020, and collected 145 samples of fresh and processed sturgeon, as well as caviar, from the retail and catering sectors in the four countries. During this period all fishing and trade in wild sturgeon was prohibited in Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Serbia was permitted to have a restrictive catch of wild sterlet sturgeon above 40cm in length, but even this was only until the end of 2018, after which it became illegal as well.

All the samples were analysed by 3 DNA methods (mitochondrial DNA sequencing for species, microsatellites for identification of species and hybrids, and SNPs (single nucloeotide polymorphism) for hybrid and species identification). In addition, stable isotopes analysis (SIRA) was carried out to give information on whether the fish was wild or farmed based on feedstuffs, and geographic origin. The results indicated that 30% of the samples tested were illegal, 27 samples were from illegally caught wild sturgeon, 17 samples of caviar were in violation of CITES Regulations.

Download the full report here

Read more…

8909601276?profile=RESIZE_400x

Europol supported the Spanish authorities in uncovering an organised crime group laundering millions of euros of illegal profits coming from the trafficking of adulterated saffron. The criminal network mixed real saffron with herbs and chemicals to increase their margins before exporting it. More than 500 shipments of this adulterated saffron have been identified, worth an estimated amount of €10 million.

The criminal network laundered their proceeds through multiple bank transfers emanating from a Spanish company to different companies across the EU pretending to having bought this saffron. The network also used carriers to transport large amount of cash derived from the criminal business. Money, luxury items and machines to adulterate saffron have been seized, and 17 arrests made.

Read Europol's Press Release here

Read more…

8895099273?profile=RESIZE_400x

This paper develops a conceptual framework to decide when to implement analytical testing programmes for fraud, and a framework to consider the economic costs of fraud and the benefits of its early detection. Factors associated with statistical sampling for fraud detection were considered. Choice of sampling location on the overall food-chain may influence the likelihood of fraud detection.

The paper is the final Scientific Opinion (SO) paper in a series of 6 SO papers developed in the EU Project FoodIntegrity.

The full open access paper is available here. Access to the other 5 Scientific Opinion papers is in the publications section of the FoodIntegrity website.

Read more…

 8883178456?profile=RESIZE_400x

US Beekeepers have taken a class action in California against 4 US major honey importers and packers along with True Source Honey, an organisation set up by the importers and packers to operate a honey-certification scheme. The Beekeepers claim that the certification scheme relies on outdated methodology to detect adulteration of honey, which fails to detect C3 sugar sources (sugar beet, rice, wheat and cassava). The class action aims to clear supermarket shelves of the alleged adulterated honey in jars and cereal packets, and seeks millions of dollars in damages for lost sales and profits over the past decade.

Read the article here

Read more…

8829723283?profile=RESIZE_710x

Your business’s culture is its ‘DNA’. It represents the unique way it operates; ‘How we do things around here’. It’s what diff erentiates your business and defines its values. Leaders set the tone for this culture and, in this sense, leadership is the dynamic way that each organisation is led by either an individual or group (eg, board or management).

Dishonesty within any business, be it internal or external, can result from many factors. One factor that is often overlooked is leadership – not in the sense of governance but as a key dynamic impacting culture and therefore engagement. Engagement is key. Failing to instil the right culture can lead to heightened risk of employee disenchantment, which can present itself in many ways – from simple acts of ignorance through to dishonest activity. It is often cited that pressure initiates symptoms that lead to dishonest behaviour. Pressure can encourage employees to act dishonestly as they use it to rationalise their conduct. That is the traditional fraud triangle.1

However, in all sectors, we overlook how pressure is associated with fraud and is directly attributable to leadership.

Read full article.

 

Read more…

8807444281?profile=RESIZE_400x

Lloyds Register surveyed senior executive across the global beverage sector about their supply chain issues and experience of fraud. Of those completing the survey, 97% had been affected by fraud in the past 12 months, and 80% agreed that fraud was a growing concern. Sixty three percent of the respondents were inthe alcoholic beverage sector and 37% in the non-alcoholic sector. When asked to identify the single biggest fraud threat to their business, the respondents were split almost equally between counterfeiting (32%), adulteration (30%) and simulation (designing a product to look very similar to the legitimate product) (30%). 

You can read the reaction of the dairy sector to the report here. The Lloyds Register Report is free, but you have to register to obtain it. 

Read more…

8786900860?profile=RESIZE_584x

Food crime is a key threat to food companies and consumers around the world. The cost to the global food industry for food fraud (which is only one type of crime) has been estimated at around EUR 30 billion every year, according to a 2018 report by the European Commission.


Many companies are making important efforts to reduce and prevent crime from happening across the supply chain and protect their customers and consumers everywhere.


In order to help the food sector to continue strengthening its efforts in preventing food crime, SSAFE has partnered with five leading experts to develop a free educational video series. Dr. John Spink, Dr. Chris Elliott, Dr. Wim Huisman, Jason Bashura and Neal Fredrickson take us on a journey through the world of food fraud, food defence and food integrity – what it is, what the issues are, what is being done, and what can be done in the future in order to help reduce and prevent food crime from occurring.


“Throughout history food crime has been a serious problem” says Adrian Sharp, President of SSAFE. “Working together with some of the best leading experts in the world on food fraud, food defence and food integrity SSAFE continues to help increase awareness and strengthen the food supply chain across the world. This lecture series should be very helpful and informative in helping the food industry, from farm to fork, reduce food crime for a better future.”


This free video series, which can be accessed through the SSAFE website (www.ssafe-food.org), will help people working across the food sector better understand what food crime is, the different types of crime that may occur, and what a food business can do about it. Through a broad series of short videos these global experts share their decades worth of knowledge and experience to help strengthen food supply around the world.


Dr. Chris Elliott says “The SSAFE Food Crime Prevention Series is the first of its kind and I hope that both industry and government agencies will find the videos informative and helpful in combatting the growing menace of criminal activity in our global food system.”


This video series complements other important tools from SSAFE such as the Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment tool developed in 2016 available through the 'Tools' page of the Food Authenticity Network's Food Fraud Mitigation section. This tool (available for free in ten languages) enables any food company to self-assess their vulnerability to food fraud. The tool has been a great success with 40,000+ downloads and more than 7,500 online assessments completed across 70+ countries.


In addition to these tools, SSAFE will be launching a free Food Safety Culture assessment tool this summer. Please visit the SSAFE website next month (April 2021) for further information.

The SSAFE Food Crime Prevention Lecture Series has also been added to the 'Guidance' page of the Food Authenticity Network's Food Fraud Mitigation section.

Read more…

8782309472?profile=RESIZE_400x

This report from the Norwegian Research Institute Nofima, and one of the research outputs of the EU Project EU-China Safe, examines the supply chain from the Bordeaux region in France to China to try and identify where discrepancies in the recorded traceability data and points of weakness might occur in order to indicate vulnerability to possible fraud. The mapping and analysis of the supply chain, and the indication of where fraud might happen was partly based on existing scientific literature, reports, and news stories, and partly on a number of interviews conducted with supply chain actors in France and in China. The limitations of this report relate to the fact that the study has focused solely on the Bordeaux wine trade between France and China. Access to respondents for the study was limited, even if the data collected was complemented with both primary and secondary data sources. Because the wine supply trade is quite complex, it is acknowledged that there are many more perspectives along the local-in-global supply chain that have not been reflected in this report. However, this study will contribute to the growing body of academic literature and discussion to inform governance structures for the cultivation of a more secure food trade and traceability between Europe and China in general. 

Read the full report here

Read more…

8722141057?profile=RESIZE_400x

Recent cases show that herbs and spices are susceptible to adulteration. Italian researchers have utilised AMS (ambient mass pectrometry) coupled to mid-level data fusion as a rapid non-targeted method for oregano authentication for the first time. Authentic and adulterated oregano samples were extracted using two procedures and analysed in positive and negative ion modes by direct analysis in real time-high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS). The four blocs of data were combined into a unique dataset and analysed chemometrically to distinguish authentic from adulterated oregano.  Fourteen most informative signals of authenticity were chosen and validated. The final model gave an accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of >90%.  

Read the abstract here

Read more…

Woman checking vegetables in garden allotment

Food fraud poses a serious threat to the food system. How can we fight against it and be confident that the food we are buying is authentic and safe?

Top Takeaways from this blog

  • Food fraud in EU Member States increased by 85% between 2016 and 2019 (1) and the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to have increased cases even further (2).
  • All types of food fraud are detrimental to the reputation of the agrifood industry and cause harm to consumers and legitimate businesses.
  • Innovation and collaboration are crucial for the agrifood industry to share best practice and create solutions for food fraud mitigation and prevention.
  • Technologies and digital traceability systems such as blockchain can help to track a food product’s journey through the supply chain and pinpoint the origins of food fraud.
  • Raising awareness about how to identify food fraud, through initiatives such as EIT Food’s Future Learn education courses, is a great way to reduce risks and increase consumer confidence. 

Read full blog, which refers to the Food Authenticity Network as a "great example" of what is being done to mitigate and prevent food fraud.

Read more…

8667559662?profile=RESIZE_400x

The Guardian newspaper has made a study of 44 reports in over 30 countries of the labelling of 9,000 fish and seafood samples in catering and retail, which reveal that around 36% were mislabelled. The fish and seafood most susceptible to mislabelling were snapper, king scallops, and shark.  

Read the article here

Read more…

Edible Holograms Could Help Prevent Food Fraud

8655477484?profile=RESIZE_400x

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) claim that a new development of edible holograms could help food integrity and prevent fraud. This follows a report that US scientists have been able to embed edible holograms into chocolate. These are made from a thin film of a dried solution of glucose syrup, vanilla and water, which is coated with a fine layer of non-toxic black dye. The dye is etched off using direct laser interference patterning, leaving raised nanoscale lines, which act as a diffraction grating and produces the image or information visible on the hologram. Whilst the development only works for certain types confectionery, it has opened up a host of opportunities and innovations in the control and labelling of food.

Read the article here

Read more…

8634531300?profile=RESIZE_710x

 

 

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published its February 2021 Food Fraud Monthly Summary reporting food fraud incidents and investigations from around the world. 

Thanks again to our Member Bruno Séchet for creating this  infographic and allowing us to share it with the rest of the Network

Read the February 2021 Summary here

Read more…

8627960272?profile=RESIZE_400x 

The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has developed this food fraud resilience self-assessment tool to support businesses in developing and implementing their counter-fraud strategy.

The self-assessment tool covers different areas that businesses will need to be aware of so that they can better identify and address process issues.

The tool is made up of 7 sections and provides advice for countering food fraud. These questions will help you to evaluate your business and identify areas for improvement. The tool will not provide you with a final score.

This can be completed anonymously and any data submitted will not be collected in a way that could identify you. The tool should take no more than 15 minutes to use.

 If you have further questions for the NFCU Prevention Team, or would like support in building your business's fraud resilience, provide your email address at the end of the tool or contact us directly at NFCU.Prevention@food.gov.uk.

Access the NFCU's food fraud resilience self-assessment tool here.

Read more…

8585625086?profile=RESIZE_400x

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has issued warnings to consumers about the safety of certain fermented foods following a severe food poisoning incident in Heilongjiang province last year when nine members of a family died after consuming home made fermented maize noodles. The cause of the fatalities was a respiratory toxin produced by Pseudomonas cocovenans. There were other severe local food poisoning outbreaks from other home made fermented corn noodles, fermented rice noodles and an edible fungus. Hence, SAMR have warned against consumption or sales of home made fermented products.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security issued data on 1,400 cases of counterfeit food investigated from May to November 2020, and thought that the move to online shopping made fraud easier. There are two types of fraud. One type is registering a trade mark very similar in name of a branded product to cause some confusion when purchased by the consumer. The other is the direct counterfeiting of a label of a branded product. As an example of the latter, Penfolds wines have been the victim of counterfeiting in China for some years and which is thought to have been worth almost US$ 20million. 

Read the article here

Read more…

Analytical Toolbox for Food Fraud

8581593864?profile=RESIZE_400x

This article summarises the authenticity analytical approaches (based on building blocks of food) to identify the most suitable procedures to prevent food fraud. The methods described are not exhaustive, but cover the majority of approaches that are currently
undertaken. In particular, DNA methodology, proteomics, chromatographic methods and stable isotope ratio analysis are discussed.

Read the full article here

Read more…

How the FSA is Helping to Combat Online Food Crime

8563887280?profile=RESIZE_400x

The volume of trade of food sold over the internet is both growing and changing at a rapid rate, and there is increasing concern about the potential safety and the possibility of food fraud of this trade. In this article, the FSA (Food Standards Agency) explains what action it is taking to regulate the online trade in food, especially dealing with the proliferation of unregistered businesses on online platforms. In particular, FSA has been rolling out a digital Register a Food Business tool, which allows businesses to register digitally with their local authority using a smart phone, tablet or PC.  

Read the article here

Read more…

8540060289?profile=RESIZE_400x

This book serves as a practical resource on the topic of food fraud prevention and compliance with regulatory and industry standards. It includes a brief overview of the history of food fraud, current challenges, and vulnerabilities faced by the food industry, and requirements for compliance with regulatory and industry standards on mitigating vulnerability to food fraud, with a focus on the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Benchmarking Requirements. 

More information on the contents here

Read more…