News

Seafood has been identified as one of the foods vulnerable to mislabelling and fraud. In addition, Singapore has a high consumption of seafood (average 22kg/per capita/year). Researchers at the National University of Singapore conducted a survey to verify the labelling/description of seafood species. Eighty eight samples were collected from retail outlets and restaurants. Using mitochondrial DNA barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase Subunit-I to identify seafood species, 42 different species were identified. In total, 26% (23) of the samples were mislabelled. The three most frequently mislabelled fish were Anoplopoma fimbria (Sablefish) sold as Black Cod, Dissostichus eleginoides (Patagonian toothfish) sold as Cod or Seabass, and Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Iridescent shark) sold as Dory or Bocourti. Restaurants did not show any evidence of mislabelling, and all the mislabelled samples came from retail outlets.

Read the article or the scientific abstract.

Metabolic markers are considered as a promising choice for food authentication, but few metabolic markers were available to develop robust analytical methods for food authentication in routine control. Untargeted metabolomics by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is increasingly used to discover new metabolic markers. This review summarises the general workflow, recent applications, advantages, limitations, and future needs of untargeted metabolomics by LC-MS for identifying metabolic markers. It concludes that untargeted metabolomics by LC-MS shows great efficiency to discover the metabolic markers for the authenticity assessment of biological identity, geographical origin, agricultural production, processing technology, freshness, and cause of animals’ death.

Read the abstract here. 

In response to requests for information on emerging food security issues from our Members, the Food Authenticity Network Team has created a ‘Food Security Resource Base’ on our website, which signposts stakeholders to third party content on potential / actual disruption to the food and drink supply chain resulting from the current conflict in Ukraine.

The information is presented in two sections:

• Government information
• Food Industry information.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION in the Food Fraud Prevention THINK TANK's latest “Food Fraud 20 Questions” survey on Food Document Fraud – Concerns and Countermeasures.

This is an update of their 2016 survey on the topic and is a 5-10 minute online, confidential, anonymous survey. Please participate or forward it to others as you see fit.

Your involvement will contribute to research and reports that help you reduce your “fraud opportunity.”

SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FoodDocument

The food industry accepts a wide range of documents to confirm the identity and source of products bought and sold. The research project based on this survey begins with an analysis of:

• The documents used in food product transactions
• The documents that are known or suspected to be fraudulent
• Best practices or countermeasures

This “Food Fraud 20 Questions” survey will provide more insight into this emerging and timely subject. Once the project is completed, the free Food Fraud Insight Report (link below) will be updated.

Additional Resources:

• Food Fraud Insight Report: Link to our “Understanding the Risk of Document Fraud in the Food Supply Chain: Preliminary Findings from the Food Document Fraud Survey” by Roy Fenoff, PhD & John W. Spink, PhD: https://www.foodfraudpreventionthinktank.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FFIR-Backgrounder-fenoff-spink-document-fraud.pdf
• Webinar Session: Food Fraud Trends Update: Essentials for Avoiding Food Document Fraud, hosted by the Repositrak, OnTrak Webinar series, June 16, 2021, URL (75 minutes): https://repositrak.com/webinar-archive/ontrak-webinar-food-fraud-trends-update-essentials-for-avoiding-food-document-fraud/

For further information visit the Food Fraud Prevention THINK TANK website.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is warning members of the public not to buy or eat counterfeit ‘Wonka Bars’, which are being sold in shops and online across the country.

The counterfeit bars may be unsafe to eat, as there is a possibility that they are being produced or repackaged by unregistered businesses and by individuals who could be contravening food hygiene, labelling and traceability laws.

Some counterfeit Wonka Bars removed from sale have been found to contain allergens which weren’t listed on the label, posing a major health risk to anyone who suffers from a food allergy or intolerance.

The FSA’s warning comes after a sharp increase in reports of the counterfeit chocolate bars on sale over the past year.

Tina Potter, Head of Incidents at the Food Standards Agency, said: 

“With Easter less than a month away, it is more important than ever that parents and grandparents are aware of the risks that these bogus chocolate bars could pose to their children, particularly those living with a food allergy or intolerance.

“There is no way of knowing what ingredients are in these bars or what food hygiene practices are being followed by the people making or repackaging them.

“If you have bought these knock-off bars, do not eat them or give them to friends and family.”

Any Wonka-branded chocolate which does not feature the official ‘Ferrero’ or ‘Ferrara Candy Company’ trademarks on the label is likely to be a counterfeit product and there is no way to know if it is safe to eat.

The Food Standards Agency is continuing to investigate further reports with support from local authority partners.

Letters have been sent to local authorities responsible for investigating and enforcing food law to advise them to remove any fake products from sale where there is a known or suspected public health risk.

Any members of the public who have bought or spot counterfeit Wonka Bars on shelves or online are advised to raise the issue with the retailer and report the matter to their Local Authority so that action can be taken.

FSA alert

The olive oil and table olive industry generate large volumes of olive waste, and the adulteration of olive stone and olive pomace in ground black pepper was first identified at the end of the 19th century. Although screening methods have been developed to detect adulteration of black pepper, there is a need for a robust confirmatory test of the adulteration by olive by-products. Oleoropein, a phenolic compound responsible for the bitter taste in olives, is found in all constituent parts of the olive tree and fruit. Scientists at the McCormick & Co laboratories in France, UK and Italy have developed a method using Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE®) and LC-MS/MS to detect and identify oleuropein in olive by-products. The qualitative method was validated with prepared  mixtures of black pepper and different olive by-products, and the limit of detection was well below the 1.5% extraneous matter permitted in the ISO standard for black pepper.

Read the full open access paper here

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are today advising consumers that some food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead contain refined rapeseed oil. This is happening to maintain the supply of certain food products containing ingredients that have become increasingly difficult to source because of the conflict in Ukraine.

The majority of the UK’s sunflower oil comes from Ukraine and food businesses here are reporting that supplies of sunflower oil are likely to run out in a few weeks with some businesses already experiencing severe difficulties.

This has led to some food manufacturers urgently replacing sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil before being able to make the change on the label. We are therefore advising that food products labelled as containing sunflower oil may instead have been produced using refined rapeseed oil and consumers should look out for additional information being provided by retailers and manufacturers  to stay informed.

The FSA and FSS have published the rapid risk assessment into the substitution of sunflower oil with refined rapeseed oil as part of their commitment to making public the science and evidence underpinning their advice and guidance. 

Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

A new article has been published that assessed MedISys-FF system (publicly  available) for its suitable as an early warning tool for food fraud.

The study, we analyzed food fraud cases collected by MedISys-FF over a 6-year period (2015–2020) and showed global trends and developments in food fraud activities. In the period investigated, the system collected 4375 articles on food fraud incidents from 164 countries in 41 different languages.

Fraud with meat and meat products were most frequently reported (27.7%), followed by milk and milk products (10.5%), cereal and bakery products (8.3%), and fish and fish products (7.7%).

Most of the fraud was related to expiration date (58.3%) followed by tampering (22.2%) and mislabeling of country of origin (11.4%). Network analysis showed that the focus of the articles was on food products being frauded. The validity of MedISys-FF as an early warning system was demonstrated with COVID-19. The system has collected articles discussing potential food fraud risks due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The paper concludes that MedISys-FF is a very useful tool to detect early trends in food fraud and may be used by all actors in the food system to ensure safe, healthy, and authentic food.

Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108961

MedISys-FF (MEDISYS) can be accessed in the 'Tools' section of the Food Authenticity Network.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is in high demand because of its uses in cooking, frying, as well as being used as an ingredient in food, pharmacy, and cosmetic goods. Given its high consumer demand, there is a need to establish a reliable method for the identification of its geographical origin especially if producers wish to protect regional speciality production. IAEA has collaborated with Indian researchers to develop a method based on multi-elemental analysis of VCO using ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) to differentiate between VCO's from 5 major producing states of Southern India (Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa). Samples of coconuts were collected in each state and VCO prepared in the laboratory, and analysed by ICP-MS.  The concentration of 20 elements in a total of 21 samples were measured, and 17 of these elements (Na, Mg, Al, P, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cs, Pb) were chosen for chemometric analysis. PCA (Principal Component Analysis), HCA (Hierachical Cluster Analysis), and LDA (Linear Discriminat Analysis) were able to differentiate and classify the VCO samples of different geographical origins.  Further, calibration models based on PCR (Principal Component Regression) and PLS-R (Partial Least Squares Regression) were developed on the calibration dataset of the elemental concentrations, and were able to distinguish between the different geographical origins. Therefore, ICP-MS combined with regression modelling can be used as an excellent tool for the identification of the geographical origin of the VCO samples of various Indian states.

Read the full open access paper here
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Seafood labelling is covered by the EU Information to Consumers Regulation (169/2011), and EU Marketing Regulation for Fishery and Aquaculture Products (1379/2013). This study analysed the labels of seafood products sold in six European countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the UK, which was still a Member State in 2019 when the samples were collected), in order to verify the presence of mandatory information required by these EU Regulations. A total of 824 samples (449 unprocessed non-pre-packed, 213 unprocessd pre-packed, and 162 processed pre-packed) were collected from supermarkets and fishmonger stalls. The results show that there is a difference in compliance among groups of products and among countries. The UK had the lowest compliance in the unprocessed non-prepacked products - just under 64% compared to Portugal (87%). However, the main non-compliance in this category was for non-disclosure of scientific name, fishing gear and the catch production area (mainly the sub-area of FA0 37- North Atlantic, Mediterranean or Black Sea,), which is not customary information on fishmonger stalls. There was little difference between the  6 countries in labelling of pre-packed products, all of which  were over 90% compliance.

Read the full paper here

Following a call for new Food Authenticity Centres of Expertise (CoE) last year, two new laboratories have been added the Network's list:

• Public Analyst Scientific Services Limited (PASS), Wolverhampton  has been added as a Centre of Expertise in the ‘General’ category.
• School of Natural Sciences, Bangor Science Campus, Bangor University, Bangor has been added as a Centre of Expertise in the ‘Specific Commodity’ category

For further information on these organisations, see their Full Evidence Proformas on the Centres of Expertise pages.Laboratory has been added as a Centre of Expertise in the ‘General Proficiency’ category.

Applications for new Food Authenticity Centres of Expertise can be assessed throughout the year so if you think your laboratory can fulfil the AMWG criteria for a Centre of Expertise then please complete a self-assessment evidence proforma, providing evidence of your capabilities, and send to CoE@foodauthenticity.uk. 

The Food Standards Agency launches its new five-year strategy, 2022 - 2027.

The FSA’s job, set out in law, is to safeguard public health and protect the interests of consumers in relation to food. FSA works closely with the UK Government and the governments in Wales and Northern Ireland, but it acts independently and transparently, led by science and evidence.

FSA's fundamental mission is food you can trust. This mission has remained constant since the previous strategy, published in 2015. However, the food system is evolving and the strategy to deliver this mission needs to reflect and anticipate change.

The FSA has greater responsibilities now that the UK is outside of the EU. New technologies and business models and changing consumer behaviours, means the FSA needs to think differently about how it can deliver its mission. FSA also needs to take account of growing public concern about health, sustainability and of affordability.

By food you can trust, FSA means a food system in which:

• Food is safe
• Food is what it says it is
• Food is healthier and more sustainable

Read the full version of FSA's new five year strategy here.

Covid-19 has shown the vulnerability of the food supply chain, and fraudsters may take advantage of the pandemic whilst the population needs a continuous supply of safe, authentic and quality food. A project undertaken by the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Portsmouth aims to assess the prevalence of food fraud and identify the resilience strategies adopted by UK food supply chain during Covid-19. You can assist this project by filling out a questionnaire. Doing so will take approximately 5 minutes to complete the questions. This study is funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant and is conducted by Dr. Jan Mei Soon (University of Central Lancashire) and Professor Lisa Jack (University of Portsmouth).

Dr Soon and Prof. Jack  would be grateful if you could share your thoughts and experiences using the link below.

https://uclan.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/food-fraud-and-resilience-strategies-uk

Cinnamon bark oil is a spice, which has a high demand and high production cost, and hence is vulnerable to adulteration with a less expensive alternative such as synthetic petrochemical-derived cinnamaldehyde. Distinguishing biobased natural cinnamon bark oil from synthetic petrochemical cinnamaldehyde  can be achieved by measuring the C14 content. The natural product will have a C14 content, whereas a petrochemical based product will not. Standard methods for measuring C14 from ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) or ISO are based on mass spectrometry., and will be able to verify those samples of cinnamon bark oil, which claim to have an  "all natural ingredient".   

Read the article here

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published its February 2022 Food Fraud Summary reporting food fraud incidents and investigations from around the world. These have been kindly represented as an infographic above by our Member Bruno Séchet, and thanks for allowing us to share it with the rest of the Network.

In addition to the large number of fraud incidents shown above, there are references to an article on a scientific paper analysing 274 fraud affecting the beef supply chain reported in the EU RASFF from 2000-2020, and a study highlighting the challenges and threats of re-exporting seafood products from China.

You can download the full summary here

Iran  produces around 90% of the global saffron trade, but this is running into difficulties because of EU/US sanctions, adulteration and the loss of traditional trading routes. This news article describes the Iranian saffron trade, the problems it is now facing, as well as previous investigations into adulterated saffron.

Read the full article here

 A new FAO publication Thinking about the future of food safety – A foresight report, was released on Monday 7 March, outlining how major global drivers and trends will shape food safety in tomorrow’s world.

All food needs to be safe for human consumption; thus, appropriate food safety measures must form the core of food production in our agrifood systems. As agrifood systems are transformed to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there is need to develop and maintain a deep understanding of the future opportunities, threats and challenges ahead of us.

This foresight report explores the impact of major global drivers and trends on food safety, including climate change, changing consumer behaviour and food consumption patterns, new food sources and food production systems, technological advances, microbiome science, circular economy and food fraud:

Climate change: Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, unpredictable and severe extreme weather events, and others, are disrupting both food and nutrition security. This chapter of the publication describes the multi-faceted impacts of climate change on food safety by affecting the severity and occurrence of various food safety hazards – e.g., mycotoxins, algal blooms, foodborne pathogens. The chapter draws in information from published FAO reports on the topic – Climate change: Unpacking the burden on food safety (2020) and Climate change: Implications for food safety (2008).

Changing consumer preferences and food consumption patterns: Today’s consumers change their purchasing behaviours in response to a multitude of factors – from environmental sustainability and climate change to socioeconomic factors, as well as concerns regarding their own health and animal welfare. Changes in consumer diets also trigger changes in dietary risks arising from potential contaminants found in food. To continue to stay relevant and adequately protect consumer health, food safety risk assessment processes need to keep up with the changing consumer consumption patterns.

New food sources and food production systems are increasingly being explored with the goal of achieving improved environmental sustainability and/or nutritional benefits. “New food” here is meant to cover food that has been historically consumed in specific regions of the world but has recently materialized in the global retail space. “New food production systems” include recently discovered techniques and materials in the food sector. In this regard, the various food safety implications for edible insects, seaweed, jellyfish, plant-based alternatives, and cell-based food production are discussed under this topic.

Agriculture within urban spaces: Rapid urbanization, expansion of global cities and food security concerns are drawing attention to growing food within urban areas. While urban agriculture includes food grown both around and within urban spaces, in this publication the focus is on the latter or intra-urban agriculture. This form of farming comes in various forms, from backyard gardens and community farms to innovative indoor vertical farming approaches (hydroponic, aeroponic, aquaponic). Some key food safety concerns associated with intra-urban agriculture, arising from soils used, water sources, air pollution, and various other chemical hazards are discussed as well as the importance of establishing adequate regulatory frameworks specific to urban food systems.

Exploring circular economy through plastic recycling: Increased attention to environmental sustainability and depletion of natural resources have put emphasis on the concept of circular economy, which is being explored in various sectors of the agrifood systems. The topic of circular economy and the various food safety considerations are explored in this publication through the example of recycling and reuse of plastics, in particular those that are in contact with food, such as food packaging.

Microbiome science: Microbiomes (includes all microorganisms – bacteria, viruses and fungi – that live within the human gut and around us) in agrifood systems and along the food chain are not isolated and can interact with each other. The human gut microbiome sits at the end of the food chain and therefore, is exposed to both biological and chemical contaminants present in the diet. Emerging and still evolving technologies have enabled the study of microbiomes and the interactions with their ecosystems, thereby offering opportunities to utilize this knowledge for improving food safety risk assessments and subsequently consumer health.

Technological innovations and scientific advances: Emerging technologies in food production, processing, distribution and at the retail level are providing better tools for increased food safety along food chains by improving traceability, greater detection of contaminants in food, better outbreak investigations, and reduced vulnerabilities for food fraud. A few such emerging technologies – nanotechnology, intelligent packaging, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing of food, among others – are outlined in the publication while discussing both opportunities and challenges that come with them.

Food fraud: The issue of food fraud tends to evoke a strong response among consumers with current narrative focusing on the widespread and ever-increasing prevalence of the issue. However, food fraud is a complex area and the publication highlights this complexity and attempts to shift the narrative to discuss the concept of trust built into food control systems.

Access the publication here

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb8667en

The Global Harmonization Initiative's (GHI) Whistleblower Food Safety Incident Report Site is now available in over 30 languages at: https://whistle.globalharmonization.net to anyone, in any country, who works in the food and beverage industry.

Until now, there has never been a global reporting system for food safety concerns that is really anonymous. As a deterrent to unscrupulous food suppliers, the GHI first launched the Whistleblower Food Safety Incident Report site in August 2021 in English, and it is now available in over 30 languages. 

GHI ask people to report if they are aware of anything that is wrong with food to the extent that consumption may cause serious harm and they see no other way to prevent such harm. GHI will then evaluate the incident and act upon it in the most appropriate way. The facts provided will be checked to judge if the incident:

1. is real and can indeed do serious harm to people's health
2. or:
   • is intended to defame a company or individuals
   • is intended to take revenge
   • is due to misplaced humour.

Anyone who chooses to report an incident can be assured that their report is anonymous – in fact, even GHI does not know who has submitted a report. This is to protect the identity of whistleblowers. 

This is Tenet's quarterly publication helping in house counsel and those from a science background assessing food safety keep up to date with current and emerging fraud related risks.

If you work in the food and drinks industry and take an interest in fraud and financial crime impact in the sector, please take a look at the 3rd issue of The Secret Ingredient.

safefood's role is to promote awareness and knowledge of food safety and nutrition on the island of Ireland. To do this safefood:

• Provide healthy eating and food safety advice to the public
• Carry out research into food safety
• Promote scientific co-operation and links between laboratories
• Provide independent assessment of the food supply
• Carry out surveillance of diet-related disease.

safefood has produced a guide for food manufacturing businesses to help protect their businesses from food fraud.

The guide is open access and is available at Protect your business from food fraud | safefood

The Food Authenticity Network Team is delighted to note that the Food Authenticity Network is cited as one of the resources!

The safefood guide has also been placed in the 'Guidance tab' of the 'Tools and Guides section' of the Food Fraud Prevention part of this website.