key: cord-0065365-vrrnf25p
authors: nan
title: Food authenticity vulnerability in the pandemic
date: 2021-03-26
journal: nan
DOI: 10.1002/fsat.3510_8.x
sha: 449b0c5aab2cc4d2d476f2a8b258e328f1a82771
doc_id: 65365
cord_uid: vrrnf25p

nan

Food fraud is not new and has been around since the early commercialisation of food.  ere is historical evidence of counterfeit seals on antique Roman amphorae containing fraudulent olive oil and wine and the ancient Greeks had laws on adulteration of cereals and fats. . Food fraud can occur in various ways ranging from isolated acts of dishonesty by individuals to organised illegal activity coordinated by sophisticated criminal gangs (Table 1) . Fraud can involve dishonesty at any stage in the production or supply of food; it is often complex and can be seriously harmful to consumers and businesses.

Common types of food fraud include substitution or dilution of an authentic ingredient with a cheaper product, such as replacing extra virgin olive oil with a cheaper inferior oil.  e foods that are most often reported to be adulterated include herbs and spices, milk and milk-basedproducts, coff ee, tea, seafood, saff ron, honey and olive oil. Food fraud costs the global food industry an estimated US$40bn a year.

In addition to aff ecting consumer choice and con dence, food fraud It can cause illness and even death.  is was the case in China in 2008 when melamine was used as a nitrogen source to fraudulently increase the measured protein content of infant formula milk, resulting in more than 50,000 babies hospitalised and six deaths. A recent study estimated that food fraud accounted for 5-25% of all globally reported food safety incidents (1).

Following the 2013 global issue of the fraudulent replacement of horsemeat in beef products, the UK government commissioned the Elliott review into the integrity of the UK's food supply network (2) . Although the 'horsemeat scandal' did not result in a risk to public health, the incident highlighted the breakdown in the traceability and biosecurity of food products in a complex supply network and highlighted the need for stricter preventative control measures.  e Elliott review looked at the weaknesses of the UK food supply network and suggested measures that could be taken to ameliorate them. It resulted in a seismic shift in food fraud mitigation.

Impact of COVID-19 on UK food fraud vulnerability Theft -dishonestly obtaining food, drink or feed products to profi t from their use or sale. • Adulteration -including a foreign substance which is not on the product's label to lower costs or fake a higher quality. • Substitution -replacing a food or ingredient with another substance that is similar but inferior.

Misrepresentation -marketing or labelling a product to wrongly portray its quality, safety, origin or freshness. • Counterfeiting. A known brand's name, packaging, recipe or food processing method is copied, and counterfeit food is presented as a legitimate product. • Document fraud -making, using or possessing false documents with the intent to sell or market a fraudulent or substandard product. • Illegal processing -slaughtering or preparing meat and related products in unapproved premises or using unauthorised techniques. • Waste diversion -illegally diverting food, drink or feed meant for disposal, back into the supply chain.

The eff ects of the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt across the food supply network. Sterling Crew reviews the potential food authenticity challenges created by the pandemic and the mitigation of the emerging risks and threats.

 e food sector has been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic economically, operationally and socially across the entire worldwide network (3). It has been under intense pressure due to disruption relating to human resources, transportation and reduced production capability.  ere has been a scarcity of raw materials and products, which has increased prices and the use of alternative suppliers and ingredients. New suppliers and realigned networks have emerged which might not have been veri ed to the same degree as established supplier structures.

 is has raised concerns about food fraud vulnerability across the food supply network and created opportunities for food crime.  e Government has urged businesses to be vigilant on food crime during the coronavirus outbreak. Analytical testing is a key method of assuring food authenticity but cannot be used to identify every type of food fraud (6). Interpretation of results is rarely clear cut and analytical results are often used to inform and target further investigation rather than for making a single compliance decision. Once the adulteration risks have been characterised for a given raw material, a surveillance programme can be developed which builds con dence in the organisation's suppliers and con rms that the vulnerability prevention measures in place are appropriate. Every year over 50,000 authenticity tests are conducted and pooled for intelligence sharing and since its creation in has collated over 250,000 product authenticity test results. Pooling of analytical testing data on this scale will help identify any potential change in the type and nature in food fraud created by the circumstances of the pandemic.

National Food Crime Unit  e National Food Crime Unit provides leadership on food crime across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  e unit also works closely with the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit. It works to prevent, detect and investigate food crime across the UK.

Many of the risk factors for food fraud have increased across the global food supply network due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  e steps taken following the horsemeat incident and the publication of the subsequent Elliott report have strengthened the UK's food supply network authenticity controls and helped to mitigate vulnerability to fraud.

However, the pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in the UK food system, such as insuffi cient capacity in UK food production and labour.  ese issues need to be addressed and further consideration should be given to building resilience to possible future shocks.

 e pandemic has highlighted some of the weaknesses in the nature and complexity of the global food network.  e UK food industry must assure the authenticity of food by continuing to minimise the vulnerability to food fraud and by mitigation of the emerging authenticity risks and threats created by the pandemic.  e IFST is continuously monitoring and responding to this outbreak. It has created a COVID-19 Advisory Group and a COVID-19 Knowledge Hub to consolidate advice, practical guidance and links to resources to support individuals, smaller food businesses and larger food operations.

Horizonscan occasional articles 4: Food and feed authenticity -recent trends

Elliott review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks -fi nal report, HM Government PB 14192

Food Safety risk during the pandemic. Food Science and Technology

Parliamentary Offi ce of Science and Technology (POST) note on Food Fraud