Food fraud abounds in the global marketplace.

  • The concept of “food fraud” or “economic adulteration” refers to the whole or partial replacement of genuine foods and food ingredients with cheaper substances without informing the customer or consumer of the substitution.  Fraud cases may relate to specific qualities or the origin of a product (e.g., selling a cut as “certified Angus” when it is not) or they may relate to the fundamental identity and safety of a product (e.g., adding melamine to milk-based products to artificially inflate protein values).
  • At a recent meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), experts discussed the increasing prevalence of food fraud in the global marketplace, both in terms of frequency and the range of products and ingredients affected.  They also noted that recent years have ushered in more cases involving deadly adulterants.
  • Food authenticity affects ingredient suppliers, food processors, and consumers alike.  Although FSMA implementation likely will improve supply chain monitoring and verification generally, its direct impact on economic adulteration remains to be seen.

Keller and Heckman is hosting an intensive one-day seminar in New York City on September 24, 2015 to discuss food authenticity issues, particularly with respect to Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Event details and registration information are available here.