FOOD FRAUD IN COVID 19 PANDEMIC
Today
, when people aware of their healthy eating habits and moving toward the
organic foods, then there is one big problem and that is food fraud, lets see
about it and why it is a big issue in COVID 19 pandemics.
When
you search for it you find many things about it and The definition of food
fraud by FAO :
“Food fraud is the intentional adulteration of food for
financial gain. This can include deliberate substitution, dilution,
counterfeiting, or misrepresentation of food, ingredients or packaging; or even
false or misleading statements made about a product”.
Another of the most well-known and
widely-accepted definition of food fraud was published by Dr. John Spink and
Douglas C Moyer of the Michigan State University in 2011 and is:
Food fraud is a collective term used to encompass 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.
Food fraud includes:
- Adulteration/tampering of
food (substituting
or mixing less expensive ingredients into premium products)
- Mislabelling/Counterfeit (labeling a lower
quality product as a premium product)
- Making false
or misleading claims about a product’s country of origin or
how it was made
- Misrepresenting the nutritional qualities
of a product or the weight of a product
The impact of all these frauds can have a negative impact on
the quality and safety aspects of foods. They can also damage consumer
confidence and harm food businesses. That’s why it is important that all of us
have to know about it, as consumers, as a student of the food-related subject.
When you see Globally, in the first
6 months of 2020, food fraud
events have increased by 61% compared to the second half of
2019*. This is a huge difference that threatens to undermine food safety,
industry credibility and even consumer health.
All over the world is facing this problem and with that our India is
facing a food fraud problem with about ten states unable to ensure food safety
and 15% of food samples failing to pass quality tests. “The food regulator
analyses a total of 106,459 samples across India and finds over 15.8% of food
samples as sub-standard, 3.7% unsafe, and 9% mislabeled during the year
2018-19,” Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA) said in a
report on Tuesday. At least ten states are also unable to ensure food security
in the country, according to FSSAI, as they lack workforce and adequate
food testing laboratory infrastructure.
Food fraud is illegal duplicity for money-
making and emerging ocean of crime directly or indirectly related to our health
and ethical values. Food fraud has been
carried out since classical times obtrusive with the aid of Roman seals on
amphorae containing fraudulent olive oil and wine. It is a white-collar crime
this is emanating hazard each in developed and growing international locations.
Actors in food fraud can be inside a supply
chain, or an external party who uses the original packaging to pack and sell an
inferior product to cause a public health risk, and
the most common sorts of food frauds consist of adulteration, tempering,
over-run, theft, diversion, simulation, and counterfeit.
The numerous food items
that is tremendously prone to food fraud contain oils, milk, and meat
products, honey, juices, spices, and many others making milk the second-most
normally adulterated meals aspect after olive oil. Enormous incidences are
attracting limelight over years and alarming us approximately frauds inside the
food sector like melamine contamination in sixty-four tonnes of uncooked dairy
substances in China, horsemeat scandal in Europe, incorporation of the animal depot
fats and inexpensive vegetable fat in Ghee, in India, and so forth. To mitigate
food fraud, these days, a scheme FOSTAC is released by FSSAI in India which recommends that all
licensed food businesses must have at least one trained and certified Food
Safety Supervisor. Likewise, FDA, ISO, GFSI,
BRC, USDA, etc also are mitigating food frauds globally. Food fraud is a problem so not only the government but individually
also, we need to combat it hand in hand as the food holds the key to a
sustainable future.
If there is one area where the coronavirus pandemic is causing massive
rethinking, it is in what we eat, where we get our food from, and the way the
food is produced, stored and organized. There is a developing awareness
regarding the fitness blessings of an herbal, balanced food plan which is
boosting the demand for natural, sustainable foods.
If we go through trends the organic foods demand increases in thin
coronavirus pandemic, then what is organic food and why it has demand in this
situation. Then why we go for organic? As people are searching for healthy food
to feed their families, organic fruits, vegetables, pulses, cereals, etc are
proving to be the food of choice for the home. Organic foods are composed of the
natural and organic ingredients that are cultivated as per standards of organic
farming. They do not contain any artificial preservatives to sustain a longer
interval of time. Organic foods are imagined
to be free from pesticides, added hormones, and synthetic chemical compounds.
However, the developing market
place for organic food has exposed the customer to a new form of food fraud. And by measuring the amount of pesticide residue at the food,
fraud inspectors can determine whether a food item is organic or an imposter.
The Food Standards Agency, UK, has expressed worries over the amount of
non-organic food slipping through the net. This is because the use of
pesticides on a neighboring field or traces from former conventional production
on a now organic field can taint crops.
“While a major eco-labeling scandal has yet to
occur in Denmark, we often forget that our diet is sourced globally, and that
our foods are often imported from countries where problems have been
documented. For example, in southern Europe, where a large quantity of organic
fruits and vegetables are sourced, according to Kristian Holst Laursen,
assistant professor in the plant and environmental sciences department at the
University of Copenhagen
According to the new market research report titled "Organic
Food Market by Type (Dairy, Grain, Bakery, Meat, Fish & Poultry) Retail Channel
(Food Retail, Supermarket, Farmer Market) Packaging (Fresh, Frozen, Canned,
Dried) Process (Unprocessed, Processed, Ultra-Processed) - Global Forecasts to
2027, the organic food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of
12.2% from 2020 to 2027 to reach $272.18 billion by
2027.
Then how to get a ride from organic
food fraud and how to identify this fraud then few important things that you
have to keep in your mind while you are buying organic food
1. Licensing- Farming companies should have their licenses and
authentications in place from the government and private sectors. This instills
your faith in their produce.
2.
Direct support to farmers – Make sure you're supporting the farmers. Purchasing
from organic farmers can benefit them immensely and secure their future
generations.
3. Check appearance — If something is naturally and
organically grown, expect different shades or shapes. For example, it's normal
to have different shades of yellow in your moong dal instead of the uniformly
bleached yellow of the regular packaged dal.
4. Read the label — Read the label and check for any
preservatives present in the product; most preservatives are petroleum-based —
you surely don't want to be consuming those!
5. The
smell and taste test - The aroma and texture of organic food are totally
different — very potent, in fact. Organic spices, for instance, will have a
strong aroma and flavor as they retain their oil content. For example, your
tongue will have a strong sensation after half a teaspoon of organic ajwain.
What constitutes
organic food fraud?
Organic food fraud can extend to
all sectors of the food industry. Organic food regulation can differ depending
on the region. Typically, farmers can violate organic food regulation by:
·
Using artificial
fertilizers
·
Using artificial
pesticides
·
Using adding hormones to
stimulate growth
Can we fight from this organic fraud?
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed
a new approach to determining whether or not organic food fraud has been
devoted. The method focuses on the isotope
signature in the plant by isolating sulfate.
“Our approach can be
used to differentiate natural vegetables from conventionally farmed produce by
searching at how plants have been fertilized,
“Our method does not reveal whether
pesticides have been used, but whether organic plants have been fertilized
correctly.
“As such, the technique complements current analytical
controls and, overall, provide a much more detailed picture of the growing history” explains Laursen.
How to protect your
business from organic fraud
If you have a food business
that buys or sells organic food, you're a danger, now extra than ever. Global
supply chains were disrupted through the pandemic and those disruptions suggest
many providers are struggling to deliver foods that meet specifications. It is
tempting for wholesalers and distributors to replacement conventionally-grown
produce for organic to make greater income, or virtually to allow them to
satisfy customers’ orders.
Step 1: Become aware
Step 2: Educate yourself
Step 3: Assess your ingredients and products
Step 4; Take steps to reduce the risk
If you can’t be sure of the authenticity of the ingredients or products you are buying (and selling) you
only have two choices:
(i) Change your supplier to one
with a properly certified organic program, or
(ii) Stop making organic claims
about the products you sell.
Consumers are buying more organic
foods than ever before. At the same time, the unstable global economy
makes fraud more tempting and supply chain disruptions provide extra
opportunities for criminals. Organic food fraud puts your business and
brands at risk. Now is not the time for complacency; stay alert and keep your
brands safe.
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| Logo of organic food in India |
In this era when you are changing your lifestyle and eating
habits then you should have to be aware of many things, to protect your
family and yourself.
Then just stay healthy with good food and a good mood. ☺
References (link)
foodfraudadvisors.com/organic-food-fraud-in-2020/
https://insidefmcg.com.au/2020/07/16/how-has-covid-19-affected-food-fraud
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2020/05/food-fraud-rise-inevitable-because-of-covid-19/
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