tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/food-fraud-12229/articlesFood fraud – The Conversation2023-04-10T15:50:13Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013432023-04-10T15:50:13Z2023-04-10T15:50:13ZSweet little lies: Maple syrup fraud undermines the authenticity of Canada’s ‘liquid gold’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518225/original/file-20230329-14-6942ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4288%2C2848&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ensuring that maple syrup products are not mixed or substituted with other sugar syrups protects the reputation of Canadian products.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/sweet-little-lies--maple-syrup-fraud-undermines-the-authenticity-of-canada-s--liquid-gold-" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Maple syrup, Canada’s “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/weekend-morning-show-francobeat-maple-syrup-1.5913736">liquid gold</a>,” is among the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/media/food-frauds-10-most-adulterated-foods/">10 most adulterated foods</a> globally.</p>
<p>Maple syrup’s desirability has made it a target for delinquent activities, including food fraud and theft. In 2011 and 2012, almost 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup were stolen from the <a href="https://ppaq.ca/en/sale-purchase-maple-syrup/worlds-only-reserve-maple-syrup/">Strategic Reserve in Québec</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/03/31/ringleader-of-great-canadian-maple-syrup-heist-ordered-to-pay-multi-million-dollar-fine/">Great Maple Syrup Heist</a> reflects the food’s status as a highly valuable commodity and the target of delinquent activities. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/31RGcVPnNN8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC’s The National takes a look at the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve in Laurierville, Que.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In addition to the threat posed to maple syrup by thieves and smugglers, unreliable production yields due to climate events have required establishing <a href="https://ppaq.ca/en/our-organization/operation-and-regulations/maple-syrup-production-quotas/">production quotas</a> to <a href="https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1158&context=dgs">stabilize pricing and supply</a>. </p>
<p>As a consequence, there have been reports of <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/selling-fake-maple-syrup-proposed-law-felony-article-1.970122">Prohibition-style smuggling and sugar syrups labelled as maple syrup permeating the market</a>. These actions cheat consumers and introduce food safety risks into the supply chain. </p>
<p>Consumers pay more for a lower value product. In addition, the introduction of other sugars or sugar syrups may pose risks to individuals with sugar sensitivities, <a href="https://www.diabete.qc.ca/en/living-with-diabetes/diet/food-and-nutrients/maple-syrup-not-a-miracle-food-after-all/">as maple syrup has a lower glycemic index</a> than white sugar or corn syrups.</p>
<h2>Fingerprinting maple syrup glow</h2>
<p>Some methods of detecting maple syrup adulteration involve targeted analysis, such as the separation and identification of sugars in a sample, and <a href="https://gestion.centreacer.qc.ca/UserFiles//publications/adulte%CC%81ration---sirop-d'e%CC%81rable-english.pdf">non-targeted analysis such as spectroscopy</a>. But there is still a need for the continuous development of cost-effective, accurate and rapid testing tools to monitor maple syrup fraud.</p>
<p>Our research team at the University of Guelph has been developing methods to detect maple syrup fraud. We use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2021.06.005">fluorescence fingerprinting</a>, which analyzes how <a href="https://gestion.centreacer.qc.ca/fr/UserFiles/Publications/227_Fr.pdf">certain molecules in maple syrup glow when exposed to UV and visible light</a>, to see if there is any potential maple syrup adulteration.</p>
<p>In UV light, maple syrup naturally glows. Fluorescence fingerprinting maps the intensity of the light emitted by these specific fluorescent (glowing) compounds, and can provide a unique 3D rendering of a sample’s composition while also reporting on its quality, safety and identity.</p>
<p>Using key features found in the fluorescence fingerprints, we explored ways to better detect maple syrup adulteration even when the levels are as low as one per cent.</p>
<p>Our study examines the adulteration of dark and amber maple syrups with common maple syrup adulterants, at percentages ranging from one to 50 per cent. </p>
<p>Distinct fluorescence fingerprints were found for each tested syrup and mixture, revealing features that can be used to distinguish pure from adulterated samples.</p>
<h2>Machine learning and identification</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="an aerial photo of a cup with glowing liquid" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519086/original/file-20230403-20-koz51k.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=698&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Maple syrup glows under UV light.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(M. Singh)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The fluorescence fingerprints obtained when the samples were exposed to UV and visible light show several features (or peaks) that gradually changed in samples tampered with adulterants. We were able to correctly detect adulteration in 70 to 100 per cent of samples, depending on how the features were quantified and analyzed, by creating a fluorescence index or by using machine learning techniques. </p>
<p>To fully validate this approach, we will need to use larger datasets that will help us control for other factors — like the environments maple trees grow in — that may affect the content of the syrups.</p>
<p>Other common fingerprinting techniques, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07388551.2021.1874279">DNA barcoding</a> that examines short DNA fragments, can detect adulteration in other foods, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.12.047">fish</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.030">sausages</a>. </p>
<p>These methods don’t work well for maple syrup because the <a href="https://ppaq.ca/en/maple-production/step-by-step-production-maple-syrup/">extensive processing required to transform sap into syrup</a> potentially degrades the DNA.</p>
<p>In contrast, fluorescence fingerprints rely on a food’s chemical composition, so identifying the presence of adulterants can happen even in highly processed samples. Most <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2021.06.005">foods naturally contain intrinsic fluorescent compounds</a>, which means they glow under UV and visible light — the amount of and type of glow represent distinguishing characteristics.</p>
<h2>Quality control</h2>
<p>Since using fluorescent fingerprinting only requires the use of light, it is a non-invasive, efficient and affordable strategy for checking whether maple syrup contains any other sugar syrups. It is also fast, providing information about a sample within minutes.</p>
<p>This approach can be applied at different points in the supply chain as part of quality assurance and control. This would ensure that consumers receive safe, high-quality foods, and that they are not cheated financially. Confirming the quality of maple syrup would also protect the brand reputation of Canadian products.</p>
<p><em>Maia Zhang, research assistant at the University of Guelph, co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201343/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maleeka Singh receives funding from the Arrell Food Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maria G. Corradini receives funding from NSERC</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Hanner has received funding from the Arrell Food Institute, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and Oceana (US & Canada). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sujani Rathnayake received funding from the Arrell Food Institute of the University of Guelph from 2019-2022.</span></em></p>Maple syrup can often be adulterated with other syrups. A technique that uses fluorescence to indicate the presence of other compounds is an easy and quick method to determine quality.Maleeka Singh, PhD Candidate, Food Science, University of GuelphMaria G. Corradini, Associate Professor - Arrell Chair in Food Quality, University of GuelphRobert Hanner, Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of GuelphSujani Rathnayake, Research assistant, Hanner Lab, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1894712022-09-12T01:00:25Z2022-09-12T01:00:25ZWhere is your seafood really from? We’re using ‘chemical fingerprinting’ to fight seafood fraud and illegal fishing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483426/original/file-20220908-9292-419un6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C6000%2C3359&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-seafood-in-a-market-2031994/">Photo by Chait Goli/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fake foods are invading our supermarkets, as foods we love are substituted or adulterated with lower value or unethical <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JFC-09-2020-0179/full/html">goods</a>.</p>
<p>Food fraud threatens human health but is also bad news for industry and sustainable food <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I8791EN/">production</a>. Seafood is one of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X14003246">most traded food products</a> in the world and reliant on convoluted supply chains that leave the the door wide open for seafood <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-018-0826-z">fraud</a>.</p>
<p>Our new <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12703">study</a>, published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12703">Fish and Fisheries</a>, showcases a new approach for determining the provenance or “origin” of many seafood species.</p>
<p>By identifying provenance, we can detect fraud and empower authorities and businesses to stop it. This makes it more likely that the food you buy is, in fact, the food you truly want to eat.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman walks through a seafood market." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483431/original/file-20220908-18-ivhoux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Seafood is one of the most traded food product in the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-waling-on-market-in-meat-and-fish-section-123013/">Photo by Saya Kimura/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-technology-will-help-fight-food-fraud-85783">How technology will help fight food fraud</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Illegal fishing and seafood fraud</h2>
<p>Wild-caught seafood is vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.</p>
<p>Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing can have a devastating impact on the marine environment because:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>it is a major cause of overfishing, constituting an estimated one-fifth of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12462">seafood</a> </p></li>
<li><p>it can destroy marine habitats, such coral reefs, through destructive fishing methods such as blast bombing and cyanide fishing</p></li>
<li><p>it can significantly harm wildlife, such as albatross and turtles, which are caught as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320714003140">by-catch</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>So how is illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing connected to seafood fraud?</p>
<p>Seafood fraud allows this kind of fishing to flourish as illegal products are laundered through legitimate supply <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I8791EN/">chains</a>.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2003741117">study</a> in the United States found when seafood is mislabelled, it is more likely to be substituted for a product from less healthy fisheries with management policies that are less likely to reduce the environmental impacts of fishing.</p>
<p>One <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/fraud_gap_report_final_6_6_16.pdf">review</a> of mislabelled seafood in the US found that out of 180 substituted species, 25 were considered threatened, endangered, or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).</p>
<p>Illegal fishing and seafood fraud also has a human cost. It can:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>adversely affect the livelihoods of law-abiding fishers and seafood <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128015926000048">businesses</a></p></li>
<li><p>threaten food security</p></li>
<li><p>facilitate human rights abuses such as forced labour and <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-32811-5_127-1.pdf">piracy</a> </p></li>
<li><p>increase risk of exposure to pathogens, drugs, and other banned substances in <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/fraud_gap_report_final_6_6_16.pdf">seafood</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>The chemical fingerprints in shells and bones</h2>
<p>A vast range of marine animals are harvested for food every year, including fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca9229en/">echinoderms</a>.</p>
<p>However, traditional food provenance methods are typically designed to identify one species at a time. </p>
<p>That might benefit the species and industry in question, but it is expensive and time consuming. As such, current methods are restricted to a relatively small number of species.</p>
<p>In our study, we described a broader, universal method to identify provenance and detect fraud. </p>
<p>How? We harnessed natural chemical markers imprinted in the shells and bones of marine animals. These markers reflect an animal’s environment and can identify where they are from.</p>
<p>We focused on a chemical marker that is similar across many different marine animals. This specific chemical marker, known as “oxygen isotopes”, is determined by ocean composition and temperature rather than an animal’s biology. </p>
<p>Exploiting this commonality and how it relates to the local environment, we constructed a global ocean map of oxygen isotopes that helps researchers understand where a marine animal may be from (by matching the oxygen isotope value in shells and bones to the oxygen isotope value in the map).</p>
<p>After rigorous testing, we demonstrated this global map (or “isoscape”) can be used to correctly identify the origins of a wide range of marine animals living in different latitudes. </p>
<p>For example, we saw up to 90% success in classifying fish, cephalopods, and shellfish between the tropical waters of Southeast Asia and the cooler waters of southern Australia.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mussels lie on an ice bed at a shop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/483430/original/file-20220908-19-s61mzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Demand for seafood remains strong around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-fresh-mussels-on-white-surface-with-sour-lemons-6397652/">Photo by Julia Volk/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Oxygen isotopes, as a universal marker, worked well on a range of animals collected from different latitudes and across broad geographic areas.</p>
<p>Our next step is to integrate oxygen isotopes with other universal chemical markers to gives clues on longitude and refine our approach.</p>
<p>Working out the provenance of seafood is a large and complex challenge. No single approach is a silver bullet for all species, fisheries or industries. </p>
<p>But our approach represents a step towards a more inclusive, global system for validating seafood provenance and fighting seafood fraud. </p>
<p>Hopefully, this will mean ensure fewer marine species are left behind and more consumer confidence in the products we buy.</p>
<p><em>Dr Jasmin Martino, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, contributed to this research and article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zoe Doubleday receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and the Australian Academy of Science.</span></em></p>Traditional food provenance methods are typically designed to identify one species at a time. So we worked out a new approach, as part of a broader effort to combat seafood fraud and illegal fishing.Zoe Doubleday, Marine Ecologist and ARC Future Fellow, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1884822022-09-02T16:32:48Z2022-09-02T16:32:48ZOxford Street candy shops: why food crime is so much more than counterfeit chocolate bars<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/482993/original/file-20220906-16-nk8nvs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=48%2C38%2C6435%2C3548&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/variety-colorful-candies-displayed-sweet-store-516687001">Ranta images / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In recent years, Londoners and tourists in the UK capital will have noticed an influx of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/17/oxford-street-us-candy-stores">American sweet shops</a>. US-themed and decorated with fluorescent colours, these shops advertise candy and snacks imported from the US, as well as souvenirs and vapes. The famous shopping destination of Oxford Street currently counts <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/534dc8ab-d8f3-4f6d-bfca-e817c03655f9">about 30 of these shops</a>, which are also spreading to high streets outside of London.</p>
<p>Despite their apparent successful spread, these kind of shops have attracted <a href="https://www.timeout.com/london/news/revealed-the-shocking-secrets-of-oxford-streets-sweet-shops-and-souvenir-stores-050522">suspicion</a>. They have opened quickly in great numbers, but appear too <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/markfaithfull/2022/06/15/life-turns-sour-for-oxford-streets-mysterious-american-candy-stores/?sh=4da2cead9523">empty</a> to be commercially viable and profitable enough to survive premier location rents. </p>
<p>In June 2022, Westminster City Council announced it was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/17/oxford-street-us-candy-stores">investigating</a> some of the shops for allegedly selling unsafe and counterfeit goods, and engaging in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/04/us-sweet-shops-rip-off-customers-business-rates-owners">business rates evasion</a>.</p>
<p>According to reports, some shops have allegedly been selling supermarket chocolate bars wrapped in Willy Wonka packaging and with their prices marked up. Counterfeit chocolate bars may sound like a plot point in a family-friendly heist film, but food crime is a serious global problem.</p>
<p>Food crime and fraud can take many forms, affecting food quality, authenticity and safety. <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-crime">Adulteration</a>, the addition of a foreign substance which is not on the product’s label to lower costs or fake a higher quality, is one example. <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-crime">Substitution</a>, replacing an ingredient with a similar substance of inferior quality, is another.</p>
<p>No industry is immune. From sweets, <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/criminals-target-herb-spices-economic-crisis-1740902">herbs and spices</a> and meat, to olive oil and <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/08/19/winemaker-accused-passing-cheap-bottles-quality-vintages-22m/?">wine</a>, almost every type of food and beverage has been subject to these kind of practices. Sometimes this is due to intentionally criminal behaviour, other times to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45639546">non-compliance</a>.</p>
<h2>Old problem, renewed interest</h2>
<p>Since <a href="https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/8942">ancient Greek and Roman times</a>, the food sector has attracted criminals. It is lucrative, cash-intensive, and often regulated under legislation frameworks that make it hard to prosecute and police. It scarcely suffers from <a href="https://www.agriculturejournals.cz/web/agricecon.htm?type=article&id=59_2013-AGRICECON">economic turndowns</a>. </p>
<p>As we depend on food for our daily survival, price changes have only limited effect on the demand for food. Food offences often go undetected and are punished with <a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0624/POST-PN-0624.pdf">relatively low penalties</a>, depending on the charge. In the UK, food frauds are often prosecuted as administrative breaches of food safety regulations and usually punished with fines. </p>
<h2>The horsemeat scandal</h2>
<p>However, this is not always the case, as proved by the 2012 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/feb/15/horsemeat-scandal-the-essential-guide">horse meat scandal</a>, in which beef products were found to be adulterated with the addition of horse meat. The scandal led to multiple investigations and two men were jailed for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/31/two-men-jailed-in-uk-for-horsemeat-conspiracy">conspiracy to defraud</a>. </p>
<p>The scandal exposed the need for a special investigative unit in the UK with an intelligence function and powers to prosecute food crime cases. This led to the creation of the Food Standards Agency’s <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/food-crime-strategic-assessment-2020.pdf">national food crime unit</a> in 2015. </p>
<p>On a global level, the joint Europol-Interpol investigative <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/operations-services-and-innovation/operations/operation-opson">Operation Opson</a> has targeted fake and substandard food since 2011. It has seized an estimated 12,000 tonnes of fake food and drink, worth US$40 million (£34 million) for being potentially dangerous.</p>
<h2>Food crime as a warning: the case of Italy</h2>
<p>In addition to being a threat to public health and safety, food crime is a threat to the food industry’s reputation. It can also be an indicator of more “serious” or traditional crimes.</p>
<p>Regulating and monitoring food crimes can help <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10611-021-09975-w">authorities detect further crimes</a>. Fiscal irregularities, money laundering, tax evasion or document fraud can be identified through the discovery of food offences like breaches of hygiene regulations, and vice versa. </p>
<p>In Italy, a 2012 <a href="https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2013/06/03/olio-finto-chiesto-processo-per-capo-della-ditta-che-rifornisce-grandi-marchi/613619/">olive oil fraud</a> was discovered through fiscal checks. Members of an olive oil company mixed oils from different origins and further added oil of low quality, such as deodorised lamp oil, and sold it as 100% Italian extra-virgin olive oil. </p>
<p>Due to the sophistication of the fraud and that it was committed by a group of individuals, for the first time in Italian courts the charge of unlawful association – usually applied to organised crime – was used to prosecute this food fraud. Applying this charge granted law enforcement access to investigative strategies like wiretapping and surveillance. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Close up photo of olive oil being poured from a glass pitcher into a glass bowl, with olives and leaves on the table surrounding" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480564/original/file-20220823-13-7hu1mv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olive oil is one food that has been found to cover up more insidious crimes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bottle-pouring-virgin-olive-oil-bowl-253044214">Dusan Zidar / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Food crimes can also signal the presence of organised crime groups <a href="https://apnews.com/article/331ec92cc40446c78d01c45f92d3684b">infiltrating the food sector</a>. In 2017, in another olive oil case, Italian law enforcement alleged that an ‘Ndrangheta group (a mafia-type organised crime syndicate) was <a href="https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/business/italy-arrests-33-accused-olive-oil-fraud/55364">committing fraud</a> by relabelling a low-quality blend of pomace oil as extra-virgin olive oil to US retailers. Investigators arrested 33 people on charges related not just to fraud, but also to drug trafficking, attempted murder and money laundering.</p>
<p>As these cases show, tackling food crime requires cooperation between food regulators, police, health departments and trading standards. Food crime has been around for a long time, but is still often treated as tabloid fodder. The consequences of food crime are serious matters, from making people ill to supporting organised crime.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188482/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alice Rizzuti does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Allegations of business rates evasion and counterfeit goods are just a glimpse into the dark world of food crime.Alice Rizzuti, Lecturer in criminology, University of HullLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1551552021-03-15T14:30:37Z2021-03-15T14:30:37ZSeafood: most Europeans struggle to identify the fish they eat – new study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389558/original/file-20210315-17-gsktyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6885%2C4595&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fishmonger-selling-fish-658836184">PickOne/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How well do you know the fish you buy? Could you identify the species before it’s a fillet that you pick up in the supermarket? If so, according to our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-021-00932-z">new research</a>, you’re actually more knowledgeable than most European consumers.</p>
<p>You can test yourself by trying to name these six commonly eaten fish:</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six images of fish commonly eaten in Europe." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=215&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=215&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=215&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389512/original/file-20210315-17-6jhkpe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=270&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Answers at the bottom of the article.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-021-00932-z">Mariani & Cusa (2021)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once you’re done – no cheating – check the answers at the bottom of the article. If you managed to identify at least two species correctly, then you’re already ahead of most British and Belgian participants in our study and on par with the European average. If you named more than three, you scored higher than most of the people we interviewed.</p>
<p>So why are people so estranged from the food they eat? Well, it doesn’t help that seafood sold as a particular species might be something else. New scientific tools for determining the genetic origins of produce, such as DNA barcoding, have revealed that seafood mislabelling is rampant worldwide. A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/15/revealed-seafood-happening-on-a-vast-global-scale">recent review</a> found that well over one-third of seafood samples from restaurants, shops and fishmongers in more than 30 countries belonged to different species than the ones they were labelled as. It wasn’t until we discovered over 60 different species of fish were being sold globally under the name “<a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12573">snapper</a>” that we suspected something was off. It seems the vast majority of people buying snapper wouldn’t know such a fish if it bit them on the thumb. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-rebrand-a-fish-so-that-it-sounds-tastier-155259">How to rebrand a fish so that it sounds tastier</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We reasoned that this was probably true for a lot of other popular fish species. But no research had ever estimated the average person’s knowledge of the fish they buy and eat. So, we set out to determine the level of seafood literacy among consumers in Europe.</p>
<h2>All at sea</h2>
<p>We asked 720 people from the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Greece to identify six commercial fish species from photos. People from Spain performed the best, with an average accuracy score of 38% and a little over two species guessed correctly. UK respondents did the worst, with an average accuracy score of 18% and just over one species correctly identified on average. </p>
<p>Most of the participants in our study struggled to identify even cod and salmon, and in a few cases threw out wild guesses, such as goldfish, stickleback, piranha and tiger shark. </p>
<p>This isn’t too surprising – most of us are detached from the sources of the food we eat, and fish don’t tend to roam our parks and gardens. But it may not bode well for the seafood industry or fish stocks. Previous <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320719302757#:%7E:text=A%20gap%20in%20species%20literacy%20was%20found%20between%20professionals%20and,or%20all%20but%20one%20species.">studies</a> have shown that people are more likely to care for a common species if they can identify it.</p>
<h2>A glimmer of hope</h2>
<p>Amid generally poor fish literacy, there were some encouraging geographic patterns. People from more northern countries, such as the UK, Ireland and Belgium, had an easier time identifying cod and salmon, because these fishes have long been a mainstay of their markets. Likewise, people from Spain, Italy and Greece were better at identifying anchovy, sole and sea bass. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bar chart comparing cross-country recognition of six different fish species." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/389511/original/file-20210315-13-914tba.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People were better at identifying species if they were a fish market staple in their region.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-021-00932-z">Springer/Mariani & Cusa (2021)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite increasingly globalised supply chains – which ensure, for instance, that seabass farmed in the Mediterranean is stocked in supermarkets across northern Europe – European consumers still seem to show the legacy of an earlier era, when seafood was sourced from the closest coast. This suggests that people haven’t become completely detached from the food they consume, and instead retain some awareness of regional sea foods. </p>
<p>A public education campaign could build on this and reconnect more people with the species that form an important part of their diets. More knowledgeable consumers could in turn be better at making informed choices in shops and restaurants, and become less vulnerable to seafood mislabelling and fraud. </p>
<p>Knowing more about the seafood we eat could also equip people with a better understanding of the conservation challenges in each fishery – an important step towards safeguarding a sustainable seafood industry for generations to come. Now then, how many species did you guess?</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>a)</strong> Mackerel, <strong>b)</strong> Sea bass, <strong>c)</strong> Common sole, <strong>d)</strong> Anchovy, <strong>e)</strong> Salmon and <strong>f)</strong> Atlantic cod.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stefano Mariani receives funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the EU Atlantic Area Programme.
He is a member of the Green Party.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marine Cusa receives funding from the EU.</span></em></p>When fish are out of water, consumers are out of their depth.Stefano Mariani, Professor of Marine Biodiversity, Liverpool John Moores UniversityMarine Cusa, Research Assistant at Liverpool John Moores University & PhD Candidate in Seafood Traceability, University of SalfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1509902020-12-23T16:08:41Z2020-12-23T16:08:41ZAre your Christmas spices fake? We developed a technique that can find out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373886/original/file-20201209-20-6b2do5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C4989%2C3725&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are your spices fake?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concept-christmas-new-year-dinner-roasted-1214998951">Kolpakova Svetlana/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are many flavours associated with Christmas: cinnamon, mint, nutmeg, and, of course, sage. But before you head to your local supermarket or pop online to grab these all-important herbs and spices, how sure are you that they’re genuine? As researchers of food safety, this is what we seek to investigate. Not only did we previously find that oregano was being cut with non-food ingredients, we’ve recently uncovered that sage – one of the most popular seasonings at Christmastime – might be <a href="https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/10/23/How-safe-is-your-sage-Study-uncovers-high-levels-of-adulteration">less genuine than expected</a>, too. </p>
<p>To understand how spices can be adulterated, it’s important to understand the monetary value of many herbs and spices. Often we can buy these cheaply from retailers. But when we compare the price per kilogram, some of the most expensive spices – such as vanilla and saffron – trade for almost the same price as <a href="https://agronomag.com/11-most-expensive-spices-in-the-world/">silver and gold</a>. With such value comes the massive issue of fraud. Vast fortunes can be made in cheating on herbs and spices in this complex, multi-billion pound industry.</p>
<p>The words <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713517306102">“adulteration” and “herbs and spices”</a> are often closely linked, and cheating occurs in many parts of the world. Similar to illicit drugs, these food ingredients can pass through many hands and can be cut with low value, nonfood materials. For herbs, this can be any green leaves that are available in large quantities. For spices, they can be cut with anything from brick dust to highly toxic industrial dyes. These added materials could <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956713517306102">potentially be harmful</a> to our health. </p>
<h2>Uncovering fraud</h2>
<p>Our interest in the murky world of fraudulent herbs and spices began back in 2014 when we received a tip that some dried oregano on sale in the UK market was adulterated. This was the start of a journey to understand how the fraud operates and find innovative ways of detecting it. </p>
<p>Our team started to develop “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881461630680X">chemical fingerprints</a>” of oregano using a scientific technique known as molecular spectroscopy. This can produce chemical fingerprints of many types of food ingredients. This, alongside the use of clever statistical techniques known as “chemometrics” (which extracts information from the data we’ve given it) allowed us to scan oregano and find out within a few seconds if it had been adulterated.</p>
<p>When we applied this technique to around 100 samples purchased in the UK from large and small retailers as well as online sellers, we were astounded to find that 25% of all the oregano on sale in the UK was adulterated with substances such as <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/2015/07/does-your-spice-rack-contain-fake-oregano-408737/">olive leaves and myrtle leaves</a>. </p>
<p>Our story went viral and we received samples of oregano from all over the world. In some countries – namely South Africa and Australia – the rate of adulteration was well <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/about-us/media-releases/2016/april/oregano-food-fraud-investigation">over 50%</a>. This study sent shock-waves across the food industry and authorities and huge efforts were put in place to <a href="https://www.fdf.org.uk/corporate_pubs/guidance-herbsandspices.pdf">stamp out the fraud</a>. </p>
<p>Recently we went back to test the UK marketplace and only one sample of 20 was found to be adulterated – indicating that our work had triggered much better quality control of this herb.</p>
<h2>Fake sage</h2>
<p>But our story does not end here. We received a tip-off recently that dried sage, the herb we all associate with Christmas, was also subject to adulteration. Using the same <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article/102/2/354/5658141?searchresult=1">chemical fingerprinting technique</a> we went out to sample and test again. Once more we found adulteration, <a href="https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/10/23/How-safe-is-your-sage-Study-uncovers-high-levels-of-adulteration">with 25% of all samples tested adulterated</a>. Because of lockdown in the UK, we were limited to buying around 20 samples, from large and small stores, as well as several large online marketplaces, all of which were sourced from within the UK. Some ingredients that have been used to adulterate sage include olive leaves, myrtle leaves, sumac, hazelnut leaves and strawberry tree leaves.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Dried and fresh sage." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373889/original/file-20201209-23-pbga33.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olive leaves are often used to bulk up dried sage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/common-sage-salvia-officinalisfresh-dried-leavesmedicinal-111316001">Melica/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The big difference this time was that all the adulterated samples were purchased from either small stores or online sellers. Products from major retailers were all 100% genuine. Our interpretation of this data is that large retailers have tighter controls, whereas small stores don’t. The issue of online adulteration is more substantial however, as many of the products could be bought from large platforms that many of us use frequently.</p>
<p>We realise our battle against the fraudsters is far from over and they will try everything and anything to keep their lucrative and illicit trade operating. But the weapons we are using to find the cheats keep improving. Our latest breakthrough has been to employ tiny handheld scanners linked to smartphones to scan for adulteration. This means that, in the future, testing can happen anywhere globally at any point in a supply chain. We have launched our own <a href="http://www.bia-analytical.com/">technology company</a> to deploy this form of testing alongside numerous leading herb and spice manufacturers and retailers. </p>
<p>Our fight against fraud in the food industry continues and our technology will make it much more difficult for the fraudsters to keep operating. But the best way to protect yourself in the meantime is to only buy spices and herbs from reputable sources – and if you’re offered something that’s too good to be true price-wise, there’s a good chance it may be fake. This will ensure you’re buying the best product that isn’t laced with dangerous chemicals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Elliott is a founder and shareholder in BIA-analytical. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Haughey is a founder and shareholder in BIA-Analytical.</span></em></p>Fraudulent spices aren’t new – but sage is the latest victim.Chris Elliott, Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Queen's University BelfastSimon Haughey, Senior research fellow, Queen's University BelfastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1301862020-01-20T17:29:32Z2020-01-20T17:29:32ZFish, sausage, even honey: Food fraud is hidden in plain sight<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310958/original/file-20200120-69539-du7j9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C2435&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A seafood counter is shown at a store in Toronto in 2018. A study that year found 61 per cent of seafood products tested at Montréal grocery stores and restaurants were mislabelled. Fish is a common victim of food fraud.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The globalization of the food chain has resulted in increased complexity and diminished transparency and trust into how and where our foods are grown, harvested, processed and by whom. </p>
<p>Furthermore, recurring incidents of <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4014182/food-fraud-avoiding-fake-product/">food fraud</a> remind us that some of those involved in the food chain are exploiting this complexity. Today, consumers are at an <a href="https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/02/20/Fragmented-global-supply-chains-have-led-to-an-increase-in-food-fraud">increased risk</a> of buying lower-quality food than what they paid for, or worse, eating food with unsafe ingredients or undeclared allergens. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310948/original/file-20200120-69535-njt0hx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The milkman used to deliver locally sourced milk to your doorstep.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Historically, food chain transparency and trust was established between the shopper and the farmer or fishmonger, green grocer, butcher, milkman and baker. Dutch scholar <a href="https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/governing-chinas-food-quality-through-transparency-a-review">Arthur Mol</a> argued that this personal interaction enabled face-to-face transparency, which built trust. </p>
<p>Before modern supermarkets, a local village or town grocery store stocked up to 300 items grown or processed within a 240-kilometre (150-mile) radius. In comparison, our post-modern supermarkets carry an <a href="https://www.fmi.org/our-research/supermarket-facts">average of 33,000</a> items that travel 2,400 kilometres or more. The Canadian government is poised to tackle that problem by announcing <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6435463/buy-canadian-promotional-campaign/">a Buy Canadian food campaign.</a></p>
<p>While the extent of global food fraud is difficult to quantify, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) suggests <a href="https://inspection.gc.ca/food-safety-for-industry/information-for-consumers/food-safety-system/food-fraud/eng/1548444446366/1548444516192">food fraud</a> affects 10 per cent of commercially sold food. Various academic and industry sources suggest that globally, food fraud ranges from US$10 billion to $49 billion. This is likely a conservative range considering estimates of <a href="https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/food-and-wine/cracking-down-on-fake-steak-with-invisible-trackable-barcodes-20180810-h13t3n">fake Australian meats</a> alone and sold worldwide are as high as AUD$4 billion, or more than US$2.5 billion.</p>
<p>If you add the sales of fake wines and alcohol, adulterated honey and spices, mislabelled fish and false claims of organic products, wild-caught fish or grain-fed meat, the numbers, and risks, increase significantly.</p>
<h2>Are Canadian regulations adequate?</h2>
<p>Regulations are in place to protect Canadians. The Safe Food for Canadians Act (known <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2018-108/index.html">as the SFCR</a>) and the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/F-27/page-2.html#h-234067">Food and Drug Act</a> work together to protect Canadian consumers from food safety and food fraud risks.</p>
<p>The SFCR states that food businesses must have preventative controls in place as well as product traceability records to ensure imported products meet Canadian laws. A provision of the Food and Drug Act states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“No person shall sell an article of food that (a) has in or on it any poisonous or harmful substance; (b) is unfit for human consumption; (c) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance; (d) is adulterated; or (e) was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another section of the act declares: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“No person shall label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety”.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But are the regulations being enforced? </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310949/original/file-20200120-69559-m7w9a4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Is the honey you enjoy on your toast every morning cut with cheaper corn syrup?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pixabay</span>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The CFIA is very active in food fraud prevention and detection. In July 2019, the agency received $24.4 million in new <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/food-inspection-agency/news/2019/07/government-of-canada-prevents-nearly-12800kg-of-adulterated-honey-from-entering-the-canadian-market.html">food fraud funding</a> after announcing that 12,800 kilograms of adulterated honey was blocked from entering the Canadian market. Honey adulteration is the process of cutting pure honey with fillers and cheaper sweeteners, including corn syrup.</p>
<p>The CFIA has several enforcement instruments it can apply to offenders including <a href="https://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/accountability/compliance-and-enforcement/amps/fact-sheet/eng/1547233099837/1547233100149">administrative monetary penalties</a>, <a href="https://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/accountability/compliance-and-enforcement/licences/eng/1324052022644/1324052753628">licence suspension or cancellation</a> and <a href="https://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/prosecution-bulletins/eng/1298575869119/1299852705293">criminal prosecution</a>. </p>
<h2>Is food fraud the same as consumer fraud?</h2>
<p>No. Canada is recovering from a significant consumer fraud incident where some of the most trusted brands colluded for more than a decade to fix the price of bread in what’s <a href="https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/04335.html">often termed breadgate</a>. This was a breach of the <a href="https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/04267.html">Canadian Competition Act</a>. </p>
<p>Canada was one of the first countries in the world with a formal Competition Act, initiated in 1889. While breadgate’s egregious breach of trust shocked Canadians, consumers are known to have short memories and to quickly forgive. </p>
<p>The protection of insiders acting as whistle-blowers in the food industry is critically important to expose both consumer fraud and food fraud. However, most food fraud detection requires the use of advanced high-tech methods. </p>
<p>In 2017, the University of Guelph’s Biodiversity Institute, in partnership with the CFIA, received $320,000 in <a href="https://news.uoguelph.ca/2017/09/u-g-cfia-collaboration-gets-320000-investment/">federal funding</a> to develop better genomics and DNA bar-coding tools, including portable devices. DNA bar-coding allows researchers to match animal and plant DNA against a reference database to identify a species. </p>
<h2>Mislabelled fish, sausage</h2>
<p>The partnership has published a number of research papers uncovering food fraud and <a href="https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/02/persistent-seafood-mislabeling-persistent-throughout-canadas-supply-chain-u-of-g-study-reveals/">revealing the mislabelling of fish</a> species in Canadian restaurants and grocery stores, an area of the institute’s research that now spans more than a decade. </p>
<p>In January 2019, the institute <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0963996919300304?via%3Dihub">published a paper</a> entitled “Re-visiting the occurrence of undeclared species in sausage products sold in Canada” as a followup to a previous study that showed a <a href="https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/guelph/20-of-tested-sausages-contained-mislabeled-meat-u-of-g-study-1.3532113">20 per cent mislabelling rate for sausages</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310955/original/file-20200120-69539-idjg0h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The original study found that 20 per cent of sausages sampled from grocery stores across Canada contained meats that weren’t on the label.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Tom Lynn</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The followup indicated 14 per cent of the 100 sausages tested still contained meat DNA that was undeclared on the label. Even more concerning for the public is that many types of food fraud and mislabelling have gone undetected. New technology and methods of testing still has to catch up. </p>
<p>As social media amplifies recurring high-profile incidents of food fraud, trust in our global food supply chains remains a concern. For the foreseeable future, much of Canada’s food fraud remains hidden in plain sight, sitting right there on our grocery store shelves. </p>
<p>[ <em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130186/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John G. Keogh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Trust in our global food supply chains remains a concern. For the foreseeable future, much of Canada’s food fraud remains hidden in plain sight, sitting right there on our grocery store shelves.John G. Keogh, Toronto-based, doctoral researcher, Food Chain / Supply Chain Transparency, Trust, Technology, Standards @ Henley Business School, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1170172019-06-12T20:16:22Z2019-06-12T20:16:22ZCreatives in the country? Blockchain and agtech can create unexpected jobs in regional Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276546/original/file-20190527-40025-5cqari.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">BeefLedger and QUT work with Mount Gambier High School students on food provenance, IoT and data science</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are said to make many jobs redundant due to automation. BeefLedger, a QUT research project with a focus on <a href="https://theconversation.com/demystifying-the-blockchain-a-basic-user-guide-60226">blockchain</a> and <a href="https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/decisionag/agtech-what-the-umbrella-term-really-means/news-story/1779963d380acb1780e85fcd4637a28d">agtech</a> (agricultural technology), tells a different story. It turns out the project generates jobs not usually associated with rural and regional Australia. </p>
<p><a href="https://research.qut.edu.au/blockchain/projects/beefledger/">BeefLedger</a> is a two-year A$1.5 million project that set out to track and protect the authenticity of Australian beef in the rapidly growing Chinese market. It also shows, though, that blockchain and agtech can generate jobs in the creative industries in regional Australia, too. </p>
<p>The Australian <a href="https://www.mla.com.au/about-mla/the-red-meat-industry/">beef industry</a> is worth more than A$13 billion a year. Around 75% of its output is exported. Yet <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/april/china-in-the-next-decade-rising-meat-demand-and-growing-imports-of-feed/">demand from markets like China</a> will soon exceed our supply capacity. </p>
<p>And that opens a door to <a href="http://foodfraud.msu.edu/">food fraud</a>, a A$40 billion-a-year problem globally. Food fraud is reducing Australia’s brand value in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/03/china-arrests-fake-meat-scandal">China</a>.</p>
<p>Led by QUT with funding from the <a href="https://www.foodagility.com">Food Agility CRC</a> and <a href="https://beefledger.io">industry partners</a>, BeefLedger is designed to protect Australia’s brand integrity by fighting food fraud. As well as verifying food provenance, it eases cross-border logistics and payments. It does this by creating an integrated <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/112257/">blockchain</a>-enabled beef provenance and smart contract platform. </p>
<h2>So where do creative jobs come into it?</h2>
<p>BeefLedger engages producer communities in rural Australia in new ways. BeefLedger is working with the District Council of Grant and Mount Gambier High School to develop digital video stories about the <a href="https://eatlocalsa.com.au/regions/limestone-coast/">Limestone Coast</a> and Mount Gambier region. By producing authentic local content that showcases food provenance to consumers, the project opens up regionally branded export opportunities in the Chinese market. </p>
<p>This creative content will be used across various platforms to strengthen the brand authenticity of Limestone Coast beef in the Chinese market. Farmers collaborate with students producing this content. In turn, BeefLedger adds value and benefit to the local community.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1133281772400128000"}"></div></p>
<p>The students visit farms and feedlots to learn about digital farming (<a href="https://www.agtechfinder.com">agtech</a>), the <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-internet-of-things-16542">Internet of Things</a> (IoT) and <a href="https://www.simplilearn.com/data-science-vs-big-data-vs-data-analytics-article">data analytics</a>. BeefLedger engages students in agricultural science, data visualisation, creative storytelling, and food provenance narrative branding. They also learn about Chinese culture, including food and media consumption practices such as WeChat.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-difference-between-stem-and-steam-95713">Explainer: what's the difference between STEM and STEAM?</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Could a technology and innovation initiative such as BeefLedger become an example of how to arrest the brain drain of young people to metropolitan cities? Might such new career prospects be an incentive even for <a href="https://theaustralianfarmer.businesscatalyst.com/pdf/28.pdf">city slickers</a> to consider regional Australia as their <a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-the-new-seachangers-now-its-younger-australians-moving-out-of-the-big-cities-103762">new home</a>?</p>
<h2>Is blockchain really killing jobs?</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>There are about as many opinions as there are experts. <strong>–</strong> <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610005/every-study-we-could-find-on-what-automation-will-do-to-jobs-in-one-chart/"><strong>Erin Winick</strong></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The desire to eliminate middlemen has been around for as long as there have been middlemen. Calling this desire <em><a href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=2711379">disintermediation</a></em> has gained currency with the rise of <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/business/insights/if-blockchain-is-the-answer-what-was-the-question">blockchain</a> and other distributed ledger technology. </p>
<p>The removal of intermediaries in a supply chain is said to enable <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0007-6813(01)80023-9"><em>frictionless capitalism</em></a>, where producers have a more direct relationship with consumers. This supposedly leads to more profit for producers and a better deal for consumers.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1142/9781786346391_0006">future of work</a> in a blockchain world remains contested. Some have <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/threat-opportunity-blythe-masters-addresses-blockchain-jobs-impact">estimated</a> that blockchain and <a href="https://altcointoday.com/smart-contracts-and-blockchain-technology-may-lead-to-job-cuts/">smart contracts</a> could make 30–60% of jobs redundant. Rebuttals of these dire predictions point to new jobs and <a href="https://www.inquisitr.com/4721900/will-blockchain-impact-jobs-three-things-you-need-to-know/">new businesses</a> being created. </p>
<p>Rather than thinking of disintermediation as killing jobs, we find consumer culture and expectations are creating new ones. Nowhere is this more evident than in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-exploding-creative-economy-shows-innovation-policy-shouldnt-focus-only-on-stem-93732">creative industries</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1133173875536044032"}"></div></p>
<p>Originally, <a href="https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/the-cultural-intermediaries-reader/book236720">cultural intermediaries</a> were identified mostly as advertisers and marketers. Today, they are a growing profession filling a range of roles: arts managers, curators and promoters, fashion, food and lifestyle gurus, journalists, DJs and online product reviewers. In China, the latter have become <a href="https://www.inkstonenews.com/style/chinas-key-opinion-leaders-turn-influence-sales/article/3001678">social influencers</a> in an industry worth more than <a href="https://techwireasia.com/2019/03/why-influencer-marketing-is-a-9b-industry-in-china/">A$12 billion</a>.</p>
<p>But when you ask a cultural intermediary what their job is, they are more likely to say: “I am a brand manager / curator / arts worker,” and not, “I am a cultural intermediary.” Cultural intermediation is a theoretical construct to describe a wide range of existing and emerging occupations. </p>
<h2>New careers in cultural intermediation</h2>
<blockquote>
<p>The generalisation of entrepreneurialism in neoliberal societies into so many different occupations and areas of practice – the bootstrapping ethos of not searching for but creating one’s job – goes a considerable way to making everyone an intermediary whether they want to be or not. <strong>–</strong> <strong><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549414526732">Peter Conlin</a></strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>We are seeing a third wave of socially engaged <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549415572324">cultural intermediaries in the creative city</a>. This includes facilitators, enablers, community workers, activists and social entrepreneurs. It often includes those working in not-for-profit and non-government organisations. </p>
<p>The cultural intermediation at play in the BeefLedger project entails brokerage, lateral thinking, conceptual reordering and dot-joining people and community <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/45629086">assets</a>. This is the craft so many professionals in the creative industries practise every day just to get a gig: <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/105473/">applied creativity</a>.</p>
<p>Intermediation and disintermediation cannot be reduced to a simple binary of good or bad. Nor should our understanding of them be confined to sales, marketing or e-commerce. Our work on the BeefLedger project applies creativity across the persistent silos of the <a href="https://eprints.utas.edu.au/13001/">3Cs – Community, Culture and Commerce</a> – towards mutually beneficial results.</p>
<p>In fact, digital technology such as blockchain may soon increase demand for professional cultural intermediaries. They bring an ability to articulate commercial aims and objectives in creative and community terms. This then enables a more holistic integration of business, social and regional agendas.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117017/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marcus Foth receives research funding from the Food Agility CRC and the CRC for Spatial Information. He is a member of the Queensland Greens.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jock McQueenie receives a doctoral scholarship from the Food Agility CRC.</span></em></p>A project to protect producers from food fraud by verifying and promoting the provenance of the region’s beef exports to China turned out to be a source of creative work in the region as well.Marcus Foth, Professor of Urban Informatics, Queensland University of TechnologyJohn (Jock) McQueenie, Creative Partnership Designer and PhD Candidate, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1137842019-03-24T09:34:04Z2019-03-24T09:34:04ZWhat’s on your plate? How certification can prevent seafood fraud<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264629/original/file-20190319-60995-1huvui5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There's a huge amount of seafood variety that can come in many forms</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dulce Rubia/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095671351530270X">About 30%</a> of seafood products – like cod or salmon – across the world may be mislabelled, according to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095671351530270X">recent review</a>. The analysis showed that on average nearly a third of all fish products that were tested didn’t match the species stated on the label or food menu.</p>
<p>Seafood fraud undermines consumer trust and threatens the reputation of seafood businesses and the sustainability of global fishery resources.</p>
<p>It might be easy enough to tell your duck from chicken but when it comes to seafood it’s a lot more challenging. From haddock to herring, abalone to clams, there’s a huge variety of seafood that can come in many forms. And, as one of <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/CA2206EN/ca2206en.pdf">the most</a> traded food commodities in the world, seafood supply chains are complex.</p>
<p>Together these factors produce an intrinsic <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i8791en/I8791EN.pdf">vulnerability</a> to the potential of food fraud.</p>
<p>The motive for mislabelling is usually financial: companies that seek to make more profit by passing off a lower value species for more expensive ones. For instance a restaurant in Brussels was found to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2017.09.005">selling</a> cheaply farmed catfish as more expensive wild-caught cod.</p>
<p>But it also happens because of misidentification. This can happen for a number of reasons: a closely related species mixed at point of capture, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.02.024">confusion over common names of species</a> along the supply chain, regional <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.04.014">variation</a> of names or the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12573">use of catch-all names</a> like “snapper” or “skate”.</p>
<p>This is a problem. Firstly, the seafood could have been caught illegally. Secondly, it could hide the fact that endangered species are being sold to unsuspecting consumers. An incident in the UK earlier this year brought the problem to light – DNA tests showed that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/31/fish-and-chip-shops-are-selling-endangered-sharks-dna-tests-prove">fish and chip shops</a> were selling endangered sharks.</p>
<p>One way to prevent seafood fraud and mislabelling is to use systems that certify where the product comes from. </p>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)30153-8">new paper</a> we used DNA testing to verify if such certification schemes work. The one we tested was the <a href="https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach">Marine Stewardship Council certification program</a> which includes a system that requires a product’s origin to be traceable. </p>
<p>Our research is the largest and most comprehensive global assessment of species validation of <a href="https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach">Marine Stewardship Council</a> labelled products. We found that only 13 of the 1402 certified seafood products were incorrectly labelled, representing less than 1%.</p>
<p>Compared with an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095671351530270X">average</a> mislabelling rate of 30%, our results suggest that combining regular DNA testing with documentary trace-backs across the full supply chain can effectively prevent systematic and deliberate species substitution and fraud.</p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach">Marine Stewardship Council</a> is one of the most <a href="https://www.isealalliance.org/community-members/marine-stewardship-council-msc">widely recognised certification and eco-labelling schemes</a> aimed towards creating sustainable fisheries. </p>
<p>It is one of a few that includes a chain of custody traceability system, designed to prevent product substitution and fraud. This requires that every operator in the seafood supply chain implement a system that ensures certified products can be traced and correctly identified at every step. The system is regularly verified by independent auditors.</p>
<p>Working with two independent laboratories – <a href="https://www.tracenetwork.org/">TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network</a> and <a href="https://www.sasa.gov.uk/diagnostics/dna-fingerprinting-service">Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture</a> we tested the system which is currently used by over 4000 businesses at more than 44 000 locations in 100 countries.</p>
<p>We used DNA barcoding to validate the species identity of 1402 certified seafood products derived from 27 species across 18 countries. </p>
<p>To identify the species in a product, a DNA sample is taken and queried against a global database – <a href="http://www.boldsystems.org/">the Barcode of Life Data System</a> – which contains sequences from hundreds of thousands of species. This has been a successful forensic tool in identifying mislabelled seafood, including some firm favourites – <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/1891/#p-1">like sushi</a>.</p>
<p>The results showed only 13 were incorrectly labelled, representing less than 1%. For these mislabelled products, records were obtained from each company at each step in the supply chain. Trace-backs revealed that only two of the samples could be confirmed as intentional substitutions with species of non-certified origin. The companies implicated had their chain of custody certificates suspended.</p>
<p>Although the system works, its impact as a global solution to fraud is limited because the system is voluntary. Companies have to choose whether they want to follow the processes and be certified. And so it ultimately depends on consumers <a href="https://www.msc.org/what-you-can-do/eat-sustainable-seafood">choosing</a> products because they are certified and creating that market incentive.</p>
<p>The good news is that consumers are starting to demand certification. In a global survey of 25 000 consumers in 22 countries, <a href="https://globescan.com/seafood-consumers-less-pollution-more-fish/">over 70%</a> demanded independent verification of sustainability claims in supermarkets. This is a strong incentive for companies to use traceability systems and have certified products in store, on fresh fish counters and on restaurant menus.</p>
<p>With the right systems in place, seafood fraud is preventable. Consumers can create a change by demanding sustainable and traceable seafood, and by holding dealers accountable for their products.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113784/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jaco Barendse works for the Marine Stewardship Council. The DNA analysis presented were carried out by independent laboratories. </span></em></p>Our new paper titled ‘DNA barcoding validates species labelling of certified seafood’ presents the largest and most comprehensive assessment of MSC-labelled products to date.Jaco Barendse, Research Associate, Nelson Mandela UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1055762018-10-31T04:46:01Z2018-10-31T04:46:01ZTrust Me, I’m An Expert: Food fraud, the centuries-old problem that won’t go away<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241976/original/file-20181024-48700-ywtg7v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What is in these products? And if additives don't affect your health, would you care?
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What have you eaten today? And how much do you know about how it was produced, what was added to it along the way, and how it made its way to your plate?</p>
<p>Even as most of us grow increasingly removed from actual food production, many consumers still take food fraud and perceptions of food purity incredibly seriously. </p>
<p>Scandals around <a href="https://delishably.com/food-industry/Meat-Glue-What-It-Is-And-What-You-Should-Know">“meat glue”</a> or <a href="https://qz.com/1323471/ten-years-after-chinas-melamine-laced-infant-milk-tragedy-deep-distrust-remains/">milk</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/05/honey-tests-reveal-global-contamination-by-bee-harming-pesticides">honey</a> contamination, and the skyrocketing global interest in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/07/27/organics-popularity-higher-than-ever-43-billion-2016/500129001/">organic foods</a>, underscore the fact that many of us still care quite deeply about the foods we eat and how they’re produced – and that’s affecting food labelling, regulation and consumer behaviour.</p>
<p>One person who’s studied that terrain closely is Dr Andrew Ventimiglia, a Research Fellow at The University of Queensland, who researches food fraud and how it relates to science, culture, trademark law and food regulation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trust-me-im-an-expert-cyclone-season-approacheth-but-this-year-theres-a-twist-104309">Trust Me, I'm An Expert: Cyclone season approacheth, but this year there's a twist</a>
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<p>He sat down with The Conversation’s deputy politics and society editor Justin Bergman to talk about the weird history of food adulteration and certification – everything from 19th century dairy farmers adding sheep brains to skim milk to make it look frothier, to centuries-old oil and wine adulteration scandals.</p>
<p>Dr Ventimiglia said types of food fraud laws have been recorded as early as the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3081008/Bread-rules-abandoned-after-750-years.html">13th century</a>, but the issue really came into focus in the <a href="http://www.artisanfoodlaw.co.uk/history-of-food-law/19th-century/history-of-food-law-19th-century">1800s</a>. </p>
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<p>Adulterated milk was one of the first issues that got national attention, and this was roughly in the mid 1800s to late 1800s, both particularly in the UK and the US. And the earliest form of adulterated milk that was really concerning to regulators was actually simply skim milk.</p>
<p>Producers who were making skim milk were adding flour or starch, sometimes carrots for sweetness, but they were also adding things that did pose a public health risk.</p>
<p>So, for instance, chalk was added to increase the whiteness of milk, as well as often sheep or calf brains to froth the milk […] those posed really legitimate health risks that were recognised by early analytic chemists and that really initiated some early food regulations.</p>
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<p>And while food scandals persist today, food standards are increasingly more concerned with fraudulent claims on packaging and innovations in food production. For instance, is yoghurt made with coconut milk still considered yoghurt? What to do about foods that claim to be “all natural?”</p>
<p>Special thanks to our multimedia intern, Dilpreet Kaur Taggar, for editing this segment together. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trust-me-im-an-expert-how-augmented-reality-may-one-day-make-music-a-visual-interactive-experience-100318">Trust Me, I'm An Expert: How augmented reality may one day make music a visual, interactive experience</a>
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<h2>From food adulteration to food poisoning</h2>
<p>We also hear from Associate Professor Shauna Murray from the UTS Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster, about her research into <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-ciguatera-fish-poisoning-21835">ciguatera fish poisoning</a>. It’s a non-bacterial illness associated with fish consumption and symptoms in humans may include gastrointestinal, neurological and even sometimes cardiovascular problems.</p>
<p>Editorial intern Jordan Fermanis spoke to Dr Murray about why this tropical disease is showing up further south, and how recreational fishermen are helping researchers unlock the mysteries of ciguatera. </p>
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<p>Trust Me, I’m An Expert is a podcast where we ask academics to surprise, delight and inform us with their research. You can download previous episodes <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/trust-me-podcast">here</a>.</p>
<p>And please, do check out other podcasts from The Conversation – including The Conversation US’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/heat-and-light-1968">Heat and Light</a>, about 1968 in the US, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/the-anthill">The Anthill</a> from The Conversation UK, as well as <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts/mediafiles">Media Files</a>, a brand new podcast all about the media. You can find all our podcasts over <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/podcasts">here</a>.</p>
<h2>Additional audio and credits</h2>
<p>Additional editing by Dilpreet Kaur Taggar</p>
<p>Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from <a href="https://www.elefanttraks.com/">Elefant Traks</a></p>
<p>Free Music Archive: Podington Bear, <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/">Clouds, Rain, Sun</a></p>
<p>Demand increases for organic produce, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFLAkTBXtaA">23 ABC News</a>.</p>
<p>Is your honey real honey or just “sugar syrup”? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gafNOtcShyI">ABC News Australia</a>. </p>
<p>Fake honey: Study finds disturbing results, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7M8R4350iw">ABC News Australia</a>.</p>
<p>Meat glue secret, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXXrB3rz-xU">Today Tonight</a>. </p>
<p>Chinese milk report, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-kLUyic4TM">CNN</a>. </p>
<p>Missouri Wine History, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MocfJiZGR_M">MissouriWine</a>.</p>
<p>Pure. Fresh. Milk. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vmZOniut9Y">1991 Promo</a>. </p>
<p>Australian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QphMaa4wxI">milk ad</a>. </p>
<p>Sad Marimba Planet by Lee Rosevere from <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet">Free Music Archive</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105576/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Dairy farmers used to put sheep brains and chalk in skim milk to make it look frothier and whiter. Coffee, honey and wine have also been past targets of food fraudsters. Can the law ever keep up?Sunanda Creagh, Senior EditorJordan Fermanis, Editorial InternJustin Bergman, International Affairs EditorDilpreet Kaur, Editorial InternLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1045082018-10-17T22:55:57Z2018-10-17T22:55:57ZGrocers: Get ready to join the blockchain party<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240689/original/file-20181015-165905-pbcwzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Five people died and more than 200 got sick during a 2018 E. coli outbreak, the largest in more than a decade. The bacteria was traced to contaminated romaine lettuce.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the wake of this year’s large E. coli outbreak, Walmart notified its leafy green suppliers that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/lettuce-blockchain-walmart-s-push-lends-legitimacy-much-hyped-technology-n916406">they must be using blockchain technology to trace their products before the end of 2019</a>. </p>
<p>Walmart, one of the world’s largest retailers, has been <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust/get-started">piloting blockchain projects with IBM for the past 18 months</a>. It is banking on this relationship to put pressure on the entire sector to give consumers what they want from the food industry: more transparency. </p>
<p>In Europe, Carrefour also recently began using blockchain to track food products on <a href="http://www.carrefour.com/current-news/carrefour-launches-europes-first-food-blockchain">several of its product lines</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-fresh-produce-and-e-coli-90230">Everything you need to know about fresh produce and E. coli</a>
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<p>The whole idea is to better manage food recalls, farm to fork and back, and also to tackle <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/canadian-food-fraud-presents-fresh-challenge-for-officials/article35712072/">the intricate issue of food fraud</a>, which is receiving an increasing amount of attention.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, many others are wondering if the investment is worth it. Consumers tend to want many things from the food industry without paying for them. </p>
<h2>The power of blockchain</h2>
<p>Blockchain is about data, but it is mostly about accountability through enhanced digitalized transparency. With blockchain everyone knows what’s happening all at once. </p>
<p>To use a simple analogy, think of blockchain as a hockey rink. All the data is on the ice, protected by the boards so that it can’t be altered. Everyone participating in a blockchain is in the stands. The activity on the ice lets everyone else know who is buying from whom, when, at what price and volumes.</p>
<p>As a result, a recalled product can be traced back in seconds instead of taking days. It took investigators days to trace the source of an <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/29/17517906/romaine-lettuce-e-coli-outbreak-over">E. coli outbreak to contaminated romaine lettuce</a>. They had to look through documents to find the source and the potential causes, all the way up the food chain. It would have been managed quite differently with blockchain. </p>
<p>Food safety is an obvious driver for blockchain, but food fraud appears to be what is moving the blockchain agenda much faster these days.</p>
<h2>Why pay extra?</h2>
<p>Blockchain technologies have been used in other sectors, but they have only recently entered the food sector. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240671/original/file-20181015-165888-19rbsdp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">In this June 7, 2011 photo, an employee throws away tomatoes in Werder, Germany, during an E. coli outbreak. Authorities had trouble identifying the source of the outbreak, causing major losses for farmers in the European Union.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/dapd/ Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert, File)</span></span>
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<p>Food safety was never going to be enough for consumers to embrace blockchain. Consumers expect safety and don’t want to pay more for it. Why pay extra for a safety belt when buying a car? Food safety may have never had market currency, but food authenticity does. </p>
<p>Fraudulent products can compromise brands and the viability of a company in a heartbeat. We have seen many cases already around the world.</p>
<p>Food fraud is difficult to measure, but <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04/12/rising-prices-aid-15b-food-fraud-problem.html">it has arguably kept food prices lower</a>, allowing some companies to cut costs and offer lower price points. </p>
<p>Economically motivated adulteration is a growth killer, something Walmart and Carrefour both know. To increase sales, companies must eliminate fraudulent food products from their shelves, and blockchain technologies can provide the perfect antidote.</p>
<h2>Jumping on the blockchain bandwagon</h2>
<p>How better to deal with food fraud than by making the whole system more transparent? </p>
<p>Transparency in the context of blockchain, however, is neither absolute nor unconditional. Each solution will offer <a href="https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/36978/blockchain-can-save-food/">a different level of transparency depending on how the system is set up</a>. This is likely why grocers are jumping on the blockchain bandwagon, to exercise their power with the supply chain and generate their own rules of engagement. </p>
<p>It is also likely making everyone else less comfortable, <a href="https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/34815/block-chain-food-fraud/">including processors and producers</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-technology-will-help-fight-food-fraud-85783">How technology will help fight food fraud</a>
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<p>If food fraud is properly addressed, growth in the food sector can be expanded. Over the next decade or so, we should not be surprised to see the disruptive nature of blockchain technologies generate tensions among grocers, processors and producers as they try to cope with grocers’ impositions.</p>
<p>Other sectors made traceability a priority decades ago. <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/digital-disruption/blockchain/blockchain-pharma-opportunities-supply-chain/">Drugs, car parts, minerals and so on can be tracked to their sources in seconds</a>. Consumers know the technology exists and are putting the pressure on grocers. It’s time for the food industry to catch up.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104508/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Charlebois does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With Walmart bringing blockchain technology to its grocery stores, other retailers will soon have to get on board.Sylvain Charlebois, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/893482017-12-19T22:41:48Z2017-12-19T22:41:48ZHow blockchain technology could transform the food industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200020/original/file-20171219-4948-18pexjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Blockchain technology could solve food safety and fraud by enabling immediate traceability to the point of origin.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lime-peppers-chilis-lemon-grass-phone-495083761">(Shutterstock)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has been a lot of noise on cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin of late. While some <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencoleman/2017/12/17/why-the-massive-fears-around-cryptocurrency-will-rise-and-whats-next-for-2018/">suggest</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/13/bitcoin-fraud-jp-morgan-cryptocurrency-drug-dealers">cryptocurrencies are a fraud</a>, others believe them to be the next <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/10/18/ico-cryptocurrency-coin-market-blockchain/">biggest economic revolution</a> the world has seen since the internet. Bitcoin has brought to light blockchain technology, which offers great potential for food safety and verification in the agrifood sector. Yet it is far from being the panacea for a range of issues affecting the industry — at least for now.</p>
<p>Simply put, <a href="https://theconversation.com/demystifying-the-blockchain-a-basic-user-guide-60226">blockchain</a> technology is a way of storing and sharing information across a network of users in an open virtual space. Blockchain technology allows for users to look at all transactions simultaneously and in real-time. In food, for example, a retailer would know with whom his supplier has had dealings. Additionally, since transactions are not stored in any single location, it is almost impossible to hack the information.</p>
<p>For consumers, blockchain technology can make a difference. By reading a simple <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-curious-comeback-of-the-dreaded-qr-code/">QR code</a> with a smartphone, data such as an animal’s date of birth, use of antibiotics, vaccinations, and location where the livestock was harvested can easily be conveyed to the consumer.</p>
<h2>Food safety</h2>
<p>Blockchain makes a supply chain more transparent at an all-new level. It also empowers the entire chain to be more responsive to any food safety disasters. Massive organizations such as Nestlé and Unilever are considering blockchain technologies for that reason. </p>
<p>Walmart, which sells 20 per cent of all food in the U.S., has just completed <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/24/wal-mart-regaining-grocery-share-from-competitors-at-accelerating-rate.html">two blockchain pilot projects</a>. Prior to using blockchain, <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/08/22/bitcoin-ethereum-blockchain-cryptocurrency/">Walmart conducted a traceback test</a> on mangoes in one of its stores. It took six days, 18 hours, and 26 minutes to trace mangoes back to its original farm. </p>
<p>By using blockchain, Walmart can provide all the information the consumer wants in 2.2 seconds. During an outbreak of disease or contamination, six days is an eternity. A company can save lives by using blockchain technologies. </p>
<p>Blockchain also allows specific products to be traced at any given time, which would help to reduce food waste. For instance, contaminated products can be traced easily and quickly, while safe foods would remain on the shelves and not be sent to landfills.</p>
<h2>Preventing fraud</h2>
<p>However, it will work only if the data at the source is accurate, as current practices in the industry are much more open to human error. Much of the compliance data is audited by trusted third parties and stored either on paper or in a centralized database. These databases are highly vulnerable to informational inaccuracies, hacking, high operating costs, and intentional errors motivated by corruption and fraudulent behaviour.</p>
<p>Blockchain operates anonymously, so <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/themixingbowl/2017/10/23/the-blockchain-of-food/1">mistakes would be traceable</a> to individual culprits. Considering recent <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-scientist-lauded-for-catching-food-cheats-1.3850156">food-fraud</a> scandals in Canada and elsewhere, this feature is not trivial. Blockchain technology provides a method with which records are kept permanently. </p>
<p>Most importantly though, it facilitates data-sharing between disparate actors in a food value chain. Many retailers have sold fraudulent food products unknowingly. With the use of blockchain, those days could come to and end.</p>
<h2>Faster, fairer payment</h2>
<p>Blockchain will allow everyone to be paid more quickly, from farm to plate. Farmers could sell more quickly, and be properly compensated as market data would be readily available and validated. </p>
<p>Blockchain technology could represent a legitimate option for farmers who feel compelled to rely on marketing boards to sell their commodities. The use of blockchain could prevent price coercion and retroactive payments, both of which we have seen across the food supply chain. </p>
<p>Blockchain technologies could “<a href="https://qz.com/326569/the-uberization-of-the-economy-is-really-about-building-a-better-trap-for-ideas/">Uberize</a>” the agrifood sector by eliminating middlemen and lowering transaction fees. This can lead to fairer pricing and even help smaller outfits desperate to get more market attention.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=442&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200044/original/file-20171219-4980-mupe5y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gul Muhammad at his Chops and Steaks butcher shop in North Brunswick, N.J., discusses halal meat orders for customers in 2015. Shops like his must be vigilant ensure the meat is verified halal — a task blockchain technology could aid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cpimages.com/fotoweb/cpimages_details.pop.fwx?position=47&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc&search=food%20and%20fraud&fileId=7ED4E565C8CEED2778801C7E3A1D5E69FE75CC55B6586039936B78A06A05F31BD76E0BD72B625B08DAA9DEE3284A7D73971FCDEE2CCA03C1CB69B7F224EA4B8DD8B290863769AC2998F2EABBBB69A76CF75A92B14A2B5F1A1225BCBD55DF59F0DE7CBC082E193D9C1AF9AB97C4430AB79B52A4BCC0501831789A3457C5D414CC">(AP Photo/Mel Evans)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Limits of blockchain</h2>
<p>Our current traceability systems need work, and blockchain technologies could be the evolution they need. Given its architecture, blockchain technology offers an affordable solution to both small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations. However, there are noteworthy limitations. </p>
<p>The amount of information which can be processed is limited. Since all of the information would be out there and accessible, several contracts between organizations would need to be secured for some level of confidentiality to be retained. How to balance confidentiality with transparency would need to be worked out. </p>
<p>The agrifood arena is filled with secrets. Blockchain technology as it is currently being deployed would be problematic for many food companies. For many, blockchain is just a solution looking for a problem. Simply put, some companies, like Walmart, have more power and influence over other companies within the same supply chain.</p>
<h2>Marketplace confusion limits participation</h2>
<p>In addition, blockchain is really in its infancy and most people are uncertain about its potential. The innovation in blockchain architectures, applications and business concepts is happening rapidly. It’s a decentralized, open-source organism which is challenging to grasp for many, including governments. </p>
<p>In food, innovation is always desirable until it becomes real. Once it manifests itself, guards go up. Some organizations are moving ahead while others wait to see what happens. The marketplace is currently fueled with confusion due to the Bitcoin phenomenon, which is labelled by many as being irrational and ridiculous. Cryptocurrencies allow for transactions to occur while using blockchain technology, but it remains just an option.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the most important challenge for blockchain technology remains participation. All parties must adopt the technology in order for it to work. In food distribution, not all companies are equal and some can exercise their power more than others. </p>
<p>A successful integration of the blockchain requires the engagement of all participating organizations. Walmart’s blockchain will likely be successful because it’s Walmart. But thousands of companies do not have the same clout.</p>
<p>Blockchain technology in agrifood has potential but it needs work. Industry public leaders should embrace blockchain as an opportunity and should be added to a digitalization strategy currently affecting the entire food industry. Transparency, productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of the agrifood sector could be enhanced. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, research should look at how to generate evidence-based blockchain solutions to democratize data for the entire system before we get too excited</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89348/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Charlebois does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Food fraud and safety concerns are an ongoing problem in the agrifood sector— could blockchain technology be a solution?Sylvain Charlebois, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/857832017-10-16T22:01:25Z2017-10-16T22:01:25ZHow technology will help fight food fraud<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190492/original/file-20171016-30997-41t9t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=165%2C0%2C2464%2C1466&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A worker handles meat at the Doly-Com abattoir in Romania in 2013 when Europe was facing a scandal over incorrectly declared horsemeat. The problem of food fraud and its health and economic implications affect a broad range of foods around the world, but technology could soon end the problem.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cpimages.com/fotoweb/cpimages_details.pop.fwx?position=59&archiveType=ImageFolder&sorting=ModifiedTimeAsc&search=horsemeat&fileId=7ED4E565C8CEED2778801C7E3A1D5E69FE75CC55B658603987FEF24F300B62227BF497D18515FAB7978750CE214B0837D1853405FB9357B8BCCED882E87BBD23646AFBDDAAAB053B500C071FA9B0FB31E297922C28FCC5CFEB24C714341D0405F0E5BDA0B82DF2D81CEC86FBB1EFD40B60A801D21EF106A0884083FA795332F61C4105A3ABBEDCF0">(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/18/lax-enforcement-at-ports-allows-bogus-organic-foods-to-reach-u-s-government-report-says/">Food fraud is everywhere</a>. In the aftermath of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/horsemeat-scandal">horsemeat scandal</a> in Europe, and with cases reported <a href="http://www.producer.com/2017/03/brazilian-meat-fraud-rocks-markets/">around the world</a>, including <a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/1-in-5-sausages-contain-undeclared-meats-study-1.3532110">in Canada</a>, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/meat-fraud-quebec-ground-beef-1.4041156">awareness is high</a>. </p>
<p>Dalhousie University recently released a study on food fraud and the results were surprising: A whopping 63 per cent of Canadians are generally concerned about food fraud. Worse still, more than <a href="https://www.dal.ca/news/media/media-releases/2017/02/21/dalhousie_led_study_finds_that_majority_of_canadians_concerned_about_food_fraud.html">40 per cent of Canadians feel they have been victims of food fraud</a> already. These are alarming results that can’t be ignored.</p>
<p>Food fraud can take many forms. It can include adulteration — substituting one ingredient with a much cheaper one — or misrepresentation, which may include selling a product as organic when it is not. </p>
<h2>Canadian food fraud cases abound</h2>
<p>Food categories that are more vulnerable to food fraud are fish, seafood, liquids, spices, fruits, vegetables and meat products. Canada has seen its share of cases in recent months, one of the most notable ones is <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/06/07/mislabelled-foods-canada-mucci-farms_n_10339214.html">Mucci Farms</a> in southwestern Ontario, near the tip of Lake Erie. The company was fined $1.5 million for selling Mexican tomatoes as a product of Canada. Mucci Farms denies that the labelling was intentional and faults their computer system. </p>
<p>Other cases have emerged through whistleblowers trying to draw attention to food fraud. <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-supplier-charged-with-mislabelling-organic-chicken/article32502431/">Cericola Farms, one of the largest poultry processors</a> in the country, was charged with fraud last year over allegations of organic mislabelling. </p>
<p><a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/fighting-food-fraud-canada-is-playing-catch-up-in-a-war-against-theunknown/article31098377/">The number of cases is adding up</a>. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has received over 40 complaints in 2016 and industry observers expect that number to increase in 2017.</p>
<h2>Serious health and economic risks</h2>
<p>Some may believe that food fraud is a victimless crime. This is not so. What is at stake is the entire food economy. </p>
<p>For any food business to grow and offer high-quality food products, it requires consumer trust. If trust is lost then everything the industry is trying to accomplish will become more challenging. Why would consumers pay more for a product they may deem fraudulent?</p>
<p>The majority of food companies are ethically sound, but you only need a few cases to damage the reputation of an entire industry. </p>
<p>Most importantly, the Dalhousie study suggests that consumers with allergies or intolerances to particular foods are likely to feel more vulnerable than other consumers when thinking of food fraud. Consequently, food fraud is as much a socioeconomic issue as it is one of public health.</p>
<h2>Technology a partial solution</h2>
<p><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/22/ibm-costco-walmart-and-others-team-up-to-improve-food-safety-with-blockchains/">Grocers</a> have made recent <a href="https://qz.com/1031861/blockchain-could-fix-a-key-problem-in-chinas-food-industry-the-fear-of-food-made-in-china/">investments in blockchain</a> technologies that provide a tool to detect products that may pose as counterfeit. </p>
<p>But these measures can only do so much. Companies can’t really report fraudulent rivals for fear of retaliation — food companies denouncing fraudulent cases are themselves accused of food fraud. They can’t win. </p>
<p>Regulators would have to sample-test everything, which would be operationally impractical and, frankly, impossible. Public regulators have been aware of the issue for quite some time but have struggled to find any solutions to address the issue. </p>
<p>A few provinces, including Ontario, have created provincewide <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/public-involvement-partnerships/food-expert-advisory-committee/membership-list.html">committees on food integrity</a> to work with <a href="http://www.foodintegrity.ca/">industry</a> in finding fraudulent cases. However, their work will take a while before we see anything new.</p>
<h2>Exercise caution</h2>
<p>Meanwhile, consumers should shop for food and visit restaurants with extreme prejudice. Consumers should look for consistencies in pricing and quality. If a food product is much cheaper at one outlet, perhaps the deal is too good to be true. Consumers should also ask pointed questions about procurement strategies to retailers and restaurant operators to make the supply chain more transparent to them.</p>
<p>But humans are humans and food fraud has been going on for more than 2,000 years. The first known reported cases go back to the Roman Empire when suspicions around adulterated wines and oils were prevalent. Today, however, we have technologies allowing us to detect fraudulent behaviour. </p>
<p>Companies and research centres from around the world are currently developing <a href="https://theconversation.com/dna-barcodes-sci-fi-tech-to-safeguard-environment-79391">portable technologies that allow consumers themselves to validate the content of food labels</a>. Imagine testing your own products at home to see if that apple is really from Ontario or that olive oil is really from Italy. The technology exists, but costs are prohibitive. Some of these devices can cost more than $200,000.</p>
<p>One day though, consumers empowered by these technologies will become the most powerful regulators the food industry can ever imagine. Knowing that consumers can ultimately test the integrity of any product, the entire food supply chain will need to be more disciplined and the rotten apples will need to go, no pun intended.</p>
<p>Over time, humans themselves may not get rid of food fraud but technology will.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Charlebois does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Food fraud is a common problem that technologies such as blockchain and DNA fingerprinting can help to solve.Sylvain Charlebois, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/823902017-08-14T14:49:15Z2017-08-14T14:49:15ZContaminated eggs show continuing problems with supply chain<p>Another food scandal: this time eggs used for making sandwiches and other processed products that contain traces of <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/fipronil-what-is-it-and-how-did-it-get-into-our-eggs/a-39963678">an insecticide called fipronil</a>. Fipronil is banned in human food production because it can be harmful to human health if ingested in sufficiently <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40896899">large quantities</a>. </p>
<p>It’s very unlikely that anyone would consume enough to be harmed, but <a href="http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Food-Safety/Contaminated-egg-imports-total-700-000?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11-Aug-2017&c=hUwdd1uTsYYNd1ALPDLiNlAGTbDIHLXa&p2=">700,000 eggs</a> have been recalled and destroyed in the UK alone. Up to 15 EU states, and Switzerland and Hong Kong are believed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/11/tainted-eggs-found-in-hong-kong-switzerland-and-15-eu-countries">to be affected</a>.</p>
<p>The eggs came from farms in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany and were sold across Europe. However, the numbers involved are a tiny proportion of all eggs produced and sold even in a day – <a href="https://www.egginfo.co.uk/egg-facts-and-figures/industry-information/data">around 34.5m</a> in the UK alone. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/181976/original/file-20170814-14751-7ru2ov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Egg roll.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/fresh-brown-eggs-on-transportation-line-206207578?src=ONCNlft9mOWKM3wWklnHFw-1-2">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p><a href="http://foodfraud.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/.../food-fraud-ffg-backgrounder-v11-Final.pdf">Food fraud</a> is “the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, or food packaging; or false or misleading statements made about a product, for economic gain”. So is this a case of food fraud? The matter is being investigated and a spokesperson in Brussels said the situation was “evolving by the day”. We do know that following raids in Belgium and the Netherlands, two men were arrested facing fraud charges. </p>
<p>It is not clear whether any farmers knew what was in the products – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40896899">criminal investigations appear</a> to be centred on pest control and the suppliers of cleaning products. If the egg producers knew that they were using an insecticide that was banned for use in human food production, then the fraud would be in how they managed the paperwork in purchasing the substance, masked it in inspections and made claims in the sales of the eggs. </p>
<h2>Paper trails</h2>
<p>If it turns out to be a fraud, perpetrators of this kind of crime are as likely to be charged with false accounting and record keeping as with anything else. On August 2 2017, two men were jailed and another given a suspended sentence in the UK for their role in the 2013 horsemeat scandal. Their aim was to boost profits – and they falsified paperwork to hide the fact that horsemeat was being passed off as beef. In this case, City of London police pointed out that it was an outright <a href="http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Regulation/Horsemeat-duo-jailed-after-conspiracy-to-add-meat-to-food-chain?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02-Aug-2017&c=hUwdd1uTsYbfhiFHVQ5gt3VCF1BuYQMP&p2=">fraud by misrepresentation</a>.</p>
<p>Food fraud is rarely a single crime. Cases that have come to court also include food safety breaches, animal welfare violations, employment law infringement, smuggling, tax and duty evasion, terrorist funding, bribery and corruption, extortion as well as false accounting. The ALW “Honey Laundering” case involved mislabelling, adulteration, substitution, false documents, false accounting, customs duty and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2013-09-19/how-germany-s-alw-got-busted-for-the-largest-food-fraud-in-u-dot-s-dot-history">sales tax evasion</a> while another case involved manipulation of invoices for 500,000 litres of olive oil falsely passed off as Italian, for <a href="http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/europe/eight-accused-e3m-sale-italian-olive-oil-unknown-sources/44454">a total trade value of €3m</a>.</p>
<h2>Narrow margins</h2>
<p>So why do businesses – both legitimate and organised crime – take the risk? The cost of egg production is very close to the price that the producer gets from the packer or other customer. The margins are tiny and so the only way to make a profit is to sell in volume. This is true of many foods. Food frauds tend to be low-margin, high-volume except for a few premium products such as quality alcoholic beverages, caviar or extra virgin olive oil. Even a fraction of a cent or penny per egg over hundreds of thousands of eggs can mean the difference between making a profit to survive as a business, being able to withstand increasing feed prices or labour costs, or being able to reinvest. </p>
<p>Feed is the highest cost in egg production – but the loss of birds through disease also puts pressure on egg producers, hence the attraction of using insecticides in cleaning routines to guard against lice and ticks which bring disease among large flocks. These are all added costs to the production of eggs – and with fipronil now available in generic form, the cost of buying it has come down. </p>
<p>We don’t yet know whether the use of fipronil in this case was a deliberate attempt to lower costs or was due to negligence – but it is almost axiomatic that where profit margins are tight, there is an incentive to cut corners.</p>
<h2>Joining up the dots</h2>
<p>So how easy it is to get away with passing off food products as safe when they are not? The food industry has scientific <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/codes-of-practice/food-law-code-of-practice">checks in place</a>, and more recently there have been growing requirements based on <a href="http://foodfraud.msu.edu/2014/05/08/gfsi-direction-on-food-fraud-and-vulnerability-assessment-vaccp/">advice from the Global Food Safety Initiative</a> for vulnerability or risk assessments to be carried out by companies in the supply chain.</p>
<p>The problem is that while the staff assigned to carry out the risk assessments are experienced and skilled, they have very little training in other aspects of fraud and <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/buying-and-supplying/the-red-flags-of-food-fraud-a-guide/371355.article">red flags</a> such as employee behaviours, accounting indicators that do not make sense, or unexpected availability of products in demand. Is anyone looking at whether there are opportunities for collusion between suppliers and buyers in the supply chain? Or if there’s scope for false paperwork to be presented? How well do you know your supplier, or your supplier’s supplier?</p>
<p>These are important questions that are extremely difficult to answer in a complex, fast-moving and endlessly shifting supply environment, where goods are perishable and sometimes pass through long supply chains. </p>
<p>The market for sandwiches, salads and so on is extremely competitive. Food doesn’t necessarily need to become more expensive. There are costs - particularly those associated with waste - that could be taken out of the system. But it is a commercial environment in which producers, packers and manufacturers find it difficult to make sufficient profits to survive. This latest story provides some food for thought: can we really afford to have less regulation and red tape in the food industry?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82390/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Jack consults for organisations within the food supply chain and has presented her work on food fraud at industry conferences. She has received funding from CIMA for food chain research.</span></em></p>Even a fraction of a penny per egg over hundreds of thousands of eggs can mean being able to survive as a business, so the temptation to cut corners is huge.Lisa Jack, Professor of Accounting, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/313222014-09-05T05:10:37Z2014-09-05T05:10:37ZFood fraud is still hard to detect – so follow the money<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/58270/original/w6qfwz4h-1409842650.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Once through the grinder, food fraud hard to track through DNA.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&search_tracking_id=iZFq8j4H0vZBV10pC9QUqQ&searchterm=horsemeat+&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=">Meat grinder by Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Food fraud is a huge problem in the UK, and much of it is as <a href="https://theconversation.com/horsemeat-scandal-was-a-damning-indictment-of-the-state-of-our-food-21490">a result of organised crime</a>. Unfortunately, as the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elliott-review-into-the-integrity-and-assurance-of-food-supply-networks-final-report">report of the Elliott Review</a> on the 2013 horsemeat scandal now points out, there is too little evidence to gauge the full extent of fraudulent practices in the industry. </p>
<p>Food mis-labelling is widespread, as is the practice of substituting premium commodity products in whole or in part with cheaper ingredients. Actually, substituting modestly priced ingredients with even cheaper ones is not unknown. We might have guessed that substitution was happening – there must be a reason some foods are so cheap – but it becomes serious when, say, ground peanuts are substituted for ground almonds and appear in restaurant meals. This could prove dangerous or even fatal to people with allergies. </p>
<p>At the other end of the scale come foods which are systematically adulterated with chemicals or are even completely counterfeit. As an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/03/food-crime-fraud-fatal-new-age-editorial">Observer editorial warned</a>, such organised criminal activity could have catastrophic consequences.</p>
<h2>Spot test trouble</h2>
<p>The obvious response to this growing threat is to do more scientific spot testing on products, of which a wide range are now available. The horsemeat scandal was probably the first time it occurred to most people that DNA testing could be used on meat for human consumption. Testing, however, can be costly and time consuming. Large quantities of data are collected but not necessarily aggregated into information on trends. In an industry as frenetic and as large-scale as the food industry, it is not possible to scientifically test every batch of food. </p>
<p>Deterrence and prevention of food fraud, however, is not just a matter of tests. Defences can also be found in three rather less glamorous areas: management controls, forensic accounting and information processing. And the food industry is beginning to explore these ideas. </p>
<h2>Changing allegiances</h2>
<p>Generally speaking, businesses across all industries usually lack specific practices designed to prevent fraud. Like householders with minimal security, there is a tendency to hope that break-ins are something that other people experience. Food supply networks, however, are vulnerable. They are characterised by a relatively small number of major retailers and caterers being supplied by thousands of small and medium businesses which are owner-managed. </p>
<p>Allegiances and arrangements between suppliers, intermediaries and customers change frequently. Contracts are used less often than is supposed and verbal communication is often preferred, to keep things moving. Some chains, as noted in the interim Elliott Review, are very long and one batch of one product can be widely dispersed. </p>
<p>In the Sudan 1 dye scandal that affected chilli powder and which broke in 2005, more than 470 products <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4285285.stm">had to be recalled</a> and a <a href="http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Food-Safety/Trading-Standards-latest-on-cancer-dyes-in-sweets">recent case of carcinogenic dyes in sweets</a> seems to be set to replicate that situation.</p>
<h2>Blow the whistle</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elliott-review-into-the-integrity-and-assurance-of-food-supply-networks-interim-report">The Elliott Review</a> into the horsemeat scandal suggests that whistleblowing mechanisms be set up for food fraud as they have been for other areas where anonymity is needed. </p>
<p>There are supply chain management standards in the industry and most suppliers have certification to show that they comply with them. Retailers, caterers and manufacturers rely on these certifications but until recently, these standards and recommended supply chain audits contained very few, if any, questions on fraud. </p>
<h2>Forensic accounting</h2>
<p>Forensic accounting reconstructs transactions for presentation in court but includes audit-based techniques that assess the possibility that fraud has occurred. Regular analytical reviews of prices offered by suppliers against commodity prices – and against costs of processing and production – should indicate when prices are too low and the product is likely to contain substitutes. </p>
<p>Unexpected variations in prices offered, or prices that are slightly too high, can be also be detected, perhaps indicating that an employee is receiving a kickback to accept fraudulent goods. Tracing back products to their origins and reconstructing the audit trail for high-risk products can highlight where unusual suppliers have been used or there is variation from normal supply routes.</p>
<p>Finally, few businesses appear to have the systems in place to turn the mass of data that they do have on food safety events and traceability into useful information for management. Businesses which monitor agri-food news and other data have an advantage. However, the small and medium-sized businesses that make up the majority of companies in the middle of the food supply chain do not have the resources for management control, audit or pro-active data seeking that are required. </p>
<p>Making these resources available is one of the challenges for UK agencies overseeing food safety on behalf of consumers. Agencies will also have more evidence for the extent of food fraud if these techniques are used more widely.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/31322/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Jack works with BDO LLP through the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at University of Portsmouth and consults to NSF International Ltd. She receives funding from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.</span></em></p>Food fraud is a huge problem in the UK, and much of it is as a result of organised crime. Unfortunately, as the report of the Elliott Review on the 2013 horsemeat scandal now points out, there is too little…Lisa Jack, Professor of Accounting, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/214902013-12-13T19:44:26Z2013-12-13T19:44:26ZHorsemeat scandal was a damning indictment of the state of our food<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37784/original/pmm7xqjf-1386951770.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C800%2C537&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On the rise: posh burgers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">PDPhoto.org</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>European food politics began 2013 with the horsemeat scandal, and it is ending with meat and horsemeat still high on the agenda. The publication of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/review-into-the-integrity-and-assurance-of-food-supply-networks">interim findings</a> from the review chaired by Professor Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast for the UK Government is significant. Deftly written and carefully phrased it makes damning reading. </p>
<p>The horsemeat scandal wasn’t about horsemeat. It was about passing off horsemeat as higher graded and priced meats. It’s about good old fashioned adulteration and fraud. It’s a 21st-century version of <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_search_for_pure_food.html?id=flY2AAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">something commonplace</a> in the 19th century. </p>
<p>Elliott confirms the scandal has exposed criminal classes muscling in on adulteration as a useful way to siphon money out of both the trade and consumers’ pockets. That burger might look like a burger but what’s in it is not what you expect or bought. It’s food fraud.</p>
<h2>Meat is a mucky business</h2>
<p>We should not be surprised by this. Meat is a mucky business. And it long has been. Think Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel, The Jungle, which exposed dreadful practices in the American meatpacking industry; think UK sausages after compositional standards were abolished under the 1980s Thatcher government. </p>
<p>If meat content drops, what else is in that meat product? Worse, what is claimed to be meat might actually be “mechanically recovered meat”, a sludge extruded from bones and sinew left-overs, about which there were scandals <a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Food_Adulteration_and_How_to_Beat_It.html?id=RlRDAAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">from the late 1980s</a> on. Not all meat is of this ilk, of course. One nice thing in 2013 has been the rise of local specialist butchers where you can buy what you see, and the mince can be minced before your eyes. Even there, it’s a trust relationship.</p>
<p>Whichever way we look at modern developed food systems, the issue of meat looms large. The post-World War II food story often claims that making meat cheaper and thus daily more available to ordinary consumers is one of its great successes. Critics have begun to mount a counter-narrative from health and from environmental perspectives, let alone animal welfare. Meat, particularly processed meats, are bogged down in a <a href="http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/">persistent troublesome</a> connection with <a href="http://www.wcrf-uk.org/cancer_prevention/recommendations/meat_and_cancer.php">some cancers</a>, and other health impacts associated with fats.</p>
<h2>Grain and more greenhouse gases</h2>
<p>Using grain to feed animals, which is actually what has delivered cheaper meat over recent decades, is looking increasingly inefficient land-use; more so as population rises and per capita land <a href="http://www.vaclavsmil.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/smil-article-2002-pdr2003.pdf">availability shrinks</a>.</p>
<p>This year’s big report on meat and climate change from the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed there are efficiency gains to be made in <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3437e/i3437e.pdf">reducing such impacts</a> if best farming practice is followed. </p>
<p>But the report echoes other findings that if more people eat more meat – the prognosis currently still seducing policy-makers, with meat being an indicator of consumer prosperity – any efficiency “gains” from better farming practice are wiped out by the simple arithmetic <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912412000363">of more mouths</a> chewing more meat and more animals emitting <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.12160/abstract">more total greenhouse gases</a>.</p>
<p>On top of this deepening ecological public health crisis for policy-makers come the lessons from the horsemeat scandal. It exposes how the EU’s entire system of confidence building over food safety, post mad cow disease in the 1990s is shaky. The 2000 Food Safety White Paper put great store on traceability and authenticity to rebuild consumer trust in Europe’s capacity to civilise the neo-liberal market model. We consumers are supposed to be able to make wise, informed choices in the marketplace and thus drive business dynamics. The reality is that we buy largely on trust. The EU and UK state said they’d look after that.</p>
<p>In October, even before Elliott’s interim report, the UK’s National Audit Office offered the <a href="http://www.nao.org.uk/report/food-safety-and-authenticity-in-the-processed-meat-supply-chain/">first official account</a> to come out of the British state about how the horsemeat scandal undermines that trust. </p>
<p>Companies, worried by reputational damage, had of course conducted many private reviews. Alas, they don’t see the light of day. My understanding is many companies were deeply shocked by what they learned from such internal reviews. Supermarket giant Tesco, for one, started making serious commitments to shorten its trade routes and to source more from the UK. Whether it can do so, having led the way to precisely the kind of “efficient” systems – which are now in the spotlight – remains to be seen. The commitment is interesting.</p>
<h2>A sorry tale of public failure</h2>
<p>And what does Elliott add to this already complex policy-making challenge? He tells a sorry tale of how public functions that protect our food have been cut and so fail us. Public analysts, a backbone since the mid-19th century, have declined in number. Local authority food inspectors are being cut. Laboratories don’t have the most up-to-date equipment or methods. Responsibilities are being fragmented across the state at national level. The Food Standards Agency - our end of the EU’s confidence building bargain - is being whittled away, with some functions just gone, and others handed over to other departments, before again being cut. </p>
<p>All this is being enacted, let’s not forget, in the name of the Coalition government’s obsession about cutting the state to pay for the private sector banking’s crisis. Above all, this is a tale of crime and fraud filling a gap created by political choices.</p>
<p>Elliott accepted that the discovery of horsemeat in burgers knocked confidence. Sales of cheap burgers might have risen, but the memories and scepticism remain. He talks of a culture of “casual dishonesty” in the meat industries, which is unacceptable. </p>
<p>Echoing the National Audit Office, he finds an appalling mess in “intelligence gathering”. This phrase speaks volumes about the parallel systems of governances long noted by academics: some state, some private standards. Industry gathers lots of information. State functionaries used to know a lot but have been cut and cut. Surely, argues Elliott, this means that whatever intelligence is gathered needs to be shared. Yet it isn’t. Indeed, part of the scandal I chose to highlight the moment the scandal emerged is how the giant and ruthless supermarkets, supposed food barons, might know the price of their products and track supplies via satellites, but they didn’t know exactly what was in the meat products. This is what shook industry. They thought they knew.</p>
<h2>One lone journalist</h2>
<p>As this sorry saga has unfolded throughout 2013, one lone journalist has dug and dug at this. We must pay tribute to the investigative work by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/felicitylawrence">Felicity Lawrence</a> of The Guardian. She – almost alone – of British journalists went out into the abattoirs, tracked the labyrinthine supply routes, interviewed and door-stepped the horsemeat trader, and alleged the involvement of organised crime.</p>
<p>How frustrated she must have felt as the UK and European state machinery did precisely nothing. But now, like a white knight on a charger, Elliott enters confirming the need for a new push on organised crime. He proposes setting up a Food Crime Unit hosted within the Food Standards Agency. I welcome that. It could breathe new life not just into the FSA and but into the Conservative-led coalition. </p>
<p>The failure of previous Conservative governments to take food safety and scandals seriously did damage 20 years ago. We remember the then agriculture minister, John Gummer, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/369625.stm">feeding his daughter</a> Cordelia a burger in the BSE crisis in 1990 to prove all was safe. She refused it, but he ate it instead. If anyone is in the spotlight after the Elliott report, it’s the secretary of state at Defra, Owen Patterson. He’s an active anti-statist and climate-change denier. Will he now accept Elliott’s correct supposition that only the state can sort out issues like food crime?</p>
<h2>What do we expect for 30p?</h2>
<p>The final thought must go to something Elliott raises about consumers. What on earth do we really expect to be in a burger it it’s being sold to us for £0.30? On page 22 of the Elliott Review is the answer. A real beef burger should cost around 85p, he says. To get it for 30p, offal, mechanically separated meat, and other ingredients are likely to be in there. We have been warned. </p>
<p>The lessons of the horsemeat scandal so far are timely. We get what we pay for. Public health, environmental impacts, land use, climate change, water use, and more, all improve if we cut our meat consumption from today’s high levels. But eating better, grass-fed meat costs more. Equally, if we want trustworthy food and to tackle crime, we need tougher food police. Whether we get and will pay for these will be a defining test for the 21st century relationship between consumers, the state and food commerce.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21490/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Lang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>European food politics began 2013 with the horsemeat scandal, and it is ending with meat and horsemeat still high on the agenda. The publication of the interim findings from the review chaired by Professor…Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.