For economic gain, manufacturers alter the product’s packaging, its ingredient or the food product itself. By definition, Food fraud is the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, or food packaging.
Food fraud has been well-documented in history. Over the years, the food industry has been suffering from damaged brands, revenue loss and consumer health effects. Although prevalent, food fraud prevention programs chase after them. Check out all about Food Defense from FDA’s website for more on this,
It seems like totally eradicating food fraud activities is an insurmountable task. In fact, the global food industry suffers an estimated lost around $30 to $40 billion annually. When you think about it, that is a huge sum.
Food items that can be altered in any way possible without the consumers’ suspicion are most susceptible to such fraudulent activity. What are the types of food fraud, anyway?
Table of Contents
Adulteration
Adulteration is the act of mixing another ingredient of lower quality to increase the quantity of the food product.
Most adulterant may either be harmful to the human health or lower the quality of the food item (i.e. nutrients and minerals in milk). The bad news is that there’s not much one can do to tell unless there is an access to an analytical testing in a food laboratory. Milk and milk products, fat and oils, meat and meat products commonly fall victims to such fraudulent act.
Counterfeiting
Most people are aware of fashion counterfeit items like shoes, bags and clothes. Fake items that resemble globally known brands like Adidas, Nike, Puma, Chanel, Louis Vuitton are prevalent, especially in Asia. Manufacturers would even alter the logo or spelling to avoid lawsuit.
This counterfeiting also happens in the food industry. For example, another manufacturer would copy everything about a popular food brand for instant consumer following. These copycats have a higher chance of being manufactured without following quality systems such as Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Hygiene Practices.
Mislabeling
Mislabeling of a food product happen when the label information doesn’t correspond to what exactly the product is about. Such action can be made unintentionally. However, there are many manufacturers who mislabel their products purposely to mask anything that would prevent the customers from purchasing.
One example is the use of or addition of low quality olives in making “extra virgin” olive oil. The Italian extra-virgin olive oil is very sought despite its high prices in the European Union. It has contributed in widespread fake olive oil (diluted with cheaper olive oil/ vegetable oil).
It may be a little issue, but huge companies have lost a huge sum of money because of mislabeling. One time, huge companies such Burger King and Nestle had to pull their beef products after learning they actually contained horse meat.
Also, omitting an important labeling formation is crucial. Not declaring that a specific food item contains allergens can be fatal to an allergic person. You may see labels that say, “Processed in a facility that manufactures milk products” or “May contain traces of milk products”.
Substitution
Substitution is the act of replacing an ingredient, of high value, with another ingredient, of low value. Honey is one of the most adulterated food items. As a matter of fact, most honey products in the world are fake or not pure. In the U.S. alone, 80% of honey are believed to be fake, according to BeeLine. Most of adulterated honey products have come from Asia, particularly in China. Merely for economic gain, they would dilute honey with a cheaper variety of sugar like corn syrup or beet sugar to increase the volume. For health conscious individuals, it’s a must to read the label of a food product for its composition. The safest way is to source food from the neighborhood. This way, it is certain that the product has not gone through any process that will negatively affect the quality.
You might also like: Why Should You Read The Label When Buying Honey
Use of unapproved enhancements
The use of unapproved enhancements doesn’t mainly targets additional volume or weight—but for enhanced quality. One example here is the use of melamine to increase the protein content of milk and powdered infant formula. This traces back to the dilution of milk with water to increase the volume but lowers the protein content. This practice is especially true for milk for further production.
The use of melamine in food isn’t approved by FAO, The Food Standard Commission or any other governing bodies. This enhancer can cause bad effect on the urinary system (such as the formation of kidney stone).
Concealment
Concealment is the act of concealing the low quality of a food product or ingredient mainly through a specific method or process.
Fresh fruits are vulnerable to diseases and defects such as bruises and scars. In order for them to stay looking good and eye-catching for consumers, producers would apply harmful food coloring on them. Although is no evidence that they’re harmful, this additive can cause allergies to some.
The food industry is always on the hunt for these fraudulent activities. Mitigation measures are important to lessen the likelihood of food fraud. Are you working in the food industry? Set up and schedule raw materials supplier audit. You might find something bizarre during your inspection like unapproved additives and preservatives in place. Stick to trusted suppliers only. Long-term relationship is crucial.
Are you new to Food Fraud Mitigation? Check out this Guidance on Food Fraud Mitigation document (FSSC 22000) for your reference.
