Squeezed supplies and higher prices have triggered a spate of olive oil fraud across Europe in recent months, with a knock-on impact on producers and consumers.
With food fraud widespread, the geographical origin of hazelnuts must be traced. A new study analysed their isotopic markers to find which ones could link them back to their origin.
The European Union recently acted against two major cases of food fraud: food contact materials containing bamboo powder, and half a tonne of horse meat unfit for consumption.
The most comprehensive study of seafood fraud ever published underlines a requirement for a standardized and rigorous dataset through which food fraud can be scrutinized to ensure enforcement.
Is food labelled as vegan, truly devoid of animal products? Does cross-contamination exist in meats labelled Halal or Kosher? Spanish initiative EthiChain has developed new technology to improve transparency and integrity in the supply chain.
The European Commission has published results of the first ever EU-wide survey into herbs and spices authenticity, focusing on pepper, cumin, turmeric, saffron, and paprika.
A model that can be used to determine the origin of food in ‘an efficient and low-cost manner’ has been developed by botanists at the University of Basel.
A team in the UK has developed two methods – one hand-held, the other lab-based -- that can accurately detect adulteration of Basmati rice. The testing has the potential to save food manufacturers time and money in their attempts to protect their supply...
With European honey harvests down 40% in 2020, Copa and Cogeca warns ‘the survival of professional beekeepers is really threatened’ and calls on European regulators to increase controls on cheaper imports that, they say, are a food fraud risk.
A fresh study looking at the authenticity of popular herb sage finds that more than a quarter of products sampled in the UK are adulterated. The results, the researchers say, emphasise that global herb supply chains are susceptible to food fraud.
Researchers in Denmark have developed a food fraud detection method for vanilla and black pepper, both of which can be adulterated for ‘high economic gain’, DTU’s Amelia Sina Wilde tells FoodNavigator.
Results of an investigation into beef, sheep, pork, and poultry products in France has revealed more than 30% fail to comply with labelling and traceability requirements.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has issued a warning calling on businesses and consumers to be vigilant against heightened food fraud risks arising from the coronavirus pandemic.
In a 20-year analysis of reported food fraud in the beef supply chain, researchers have found counterfeiting to be the most common type of fraud. “By better understanding the fraud which is taking place, we can target fraud prevention, detection, and...
Europol revealed details of arrests made in Spain this week over a fresh horsemeat scam. But rather than feeling reassured, observers suggest this is further evidence of systemic weaknesses in the food chain that are exploited by criminal elements.
Technology company IBM is launching a collaboration with Raw Seafoods to further rollout a blockchain solution for the seafood supply chain. The companies say the initiative can help tackle three of the sector’s ‘most pressing problems’: fraud, transparency...
Fraud is a big problem for rice brands. The commodity is susceptible to various scams, from passing off low-grade rice as premium to mixing it with bleached moldy rice, paper or even plastic. New research has developed a novel approach to detect food...
Beef burgers that failed to meet legal standards were sold to charities tackling food poverty in France. This latest scandal is horsemeat “chapter 2”, consumer watchdog FoodWatch insists.
The Technical University of Denmark is developing blockchain solutions for small and medium-sized food manufacturers in an effort to combat food fraud in high-value products.
IN-Code Technologies has developed invisible makers that can be used to combat illicit trade and prove the sustainable sourcing of food ingredients, such as palm oil, says CEO Joe Tilley.
Are those carrots truly organic? Does this saffron really originate from Spain? Researchers in Portugal are helping authorities test food authenticity and safety through the use of ‘food fingerprints’.
The number of cases reported to the EU Food Fraud Network rose significantly last year. Requests from one European country to cooperate with others on food fraud cases rose to 234 in 2018, compared to 178 in 2017 and 157 in 2016, according to its annual...
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has become the first regulator to adapt next generation sequencing technology to test plant-based foods and food supplements.
A new European standard for food fraud has been developed to clarify inconsistencies in terminology, covering sub-terms that go beyond the safety aspect of food crime.
Weak legislation and insufficient surveillance in Europe have contributed to a growing food fraud market across the bloc, said experts at the GFSI Conference last week.
The rise in global trade wars and the recent EU decision to classify new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) as genetically modified organisms will inevitably impact food safety and quality, experts warn.
Ian McWatt, the director of operations at Food Standards Scotland, discusses the costs associated with food crime and stresses the need for cooperation throughout the industry to tackle it.
Waters Corporation has launched a direct-from-sample analytical system for real-time sample recognition and verification of authenticity or adulteration.
Chinese consumers have deep-rooted concerns about food safety and fraud in the domestic supply chain, according to research led by Newcastle University.
Growing demand for premium and sustainable food products increases the risk of food fraud because of its higher price point, research firm Ecovia Intelligence suggests.
Alchemy Systems and the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) are to collaborate to help companies assess supply chain risk and build systems to minimize food fraud.
