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| https://foodsafetytech.com/column/what-is-on-the-food-fraud-horizon/ |
People like to ask “what is the next melamine?” Of course, this is an
impossible question to answer. However, methods of perpetrating food fraud are
rarely novel. Even melamine had a history of use in feed products for nitrogen
enhancement.
Examples of recurring food fraud in recent history include:
Herbs and spices: High-value commodities, especially when sold in
dried, flaked or ground form, have been targets of fraud for ages. Although
recent work looking specifically at oregano shed new light on the problems in that particular herb, the group as
a whole is long known to be prone to substitution with other plant material and
addition of dyes to improve color. Lead chromateand lead oxide have both been used in spices to add color. A
recent study in the United States conducted testing on spices recovered from
the homes of children diagnosed with lead poisoning and determined that some
lead poisoning cases can be attributed to high levels of lead in spices consumed by children.
Milk: Milk has been repeatedly prone to the addition of
protein-mimicking compounds such as urea, the addition of other fats such as
vegetable oil, and the addition of preservatives such as formaldehyde. Melamine
addition to milk discovered in 2008 was not entirely novel. The addition of
melamine to artificially enhance the apparent protein content of a product was
documented in scientific papers in the 1980s.1
Meat: The two main concerns with meat fraud are species substitution and misrepresentation of production practices. The recent scandals involving horse meat and sick cows slaughtered for meat illustrate the continuing incentive to
substitute less expensive species and to misrepresent the production practices
of meat.
Liquor: Alcoholic beverages are also a high-value target,
especially if they are a popular brand. Counterfeit alcohol is a common form of food fraud cited in the Food
Fraud Database. Unfortunately, the use of methanolin unregulated liquor production repeatedly results in
illnesses and deaths in consumers.
What forms of food fraud will be common in the coming years? Millennials reportedly place value on sustainability, convenience, high protein,
and production practices such as organic and “local.” Verifying claims around
production practices through long food supply chains is notoriously
challenging. Increasing interest by consumers in these types of label claims
may increase this type of fraud in the future.
Reference
- Bisaz, R., and A. Kummer.
“Determination
of 2, 4, 6-triamino-1, 3, 5-triazine (melamine) in potatoe proteins.”
Mitt. Gebiete Lebensm. Hyg 74 (1983): 74-79.
