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ERODES PUBLIC TRUST FOOD FRAUD

BY ROBERT WRIGHT

Wood-pulp, horse meat, sugar, water, and corn syrup; these are a few of the many ingredients being added to your shopping list without your knowledge. Yes, it’s true, there is a 50 percent chance you spend money—and time—trying to provide your family with proper nutrition only to be deceived into believing that what you’re eating meets your expectations.

Every so often, the media reports on violations of tampering by food manufacturers with a headline about objectionable additives in your burger or drink, but we found the problem of food fraud goes much deeper.

The manipulation of our food sources are ever-present and one of the worst breaches of public trust imaginable; pictures of children enjoying a glass of ‘juice’ or a chef cooking with their brand of ‘extra virgin olive oil’ is not always what they may appear to be, unfortunately, the vast number of consumers are oblivious to the countless methods used by unscrupulous manufacturers, marketers, and counterfeiters to extend profits and disregard your health and safety.

According to an article, Backgrounder: Defining the Public Health Threat of Food Fraud, by John Spink and Douglas C Moyer, of the Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program (A-CPPPP, 2011), at Michigan State University, food fraud is defined as, “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.” They go on to say, “Food fraud can be separated into the economically motivated adulteration, defined by the FDA, or the more specific general concept of food counterfeiting.”

For our purpose, we’re focused on events with premeditated criminal intent to defraud all those in the supply chain, up to and including the end-user.

Food fraud is omnipresent with no end in sight. But, without hard evidence of harm or injury, it is often a complicated crime to prosecute.

One primary reason for increases in food product manipulation is globalization and the increasing lengths of food chains. The further food travels, the easier it is to be tampered with; and, because supplies originate overseas, we cannot always be assured of government oversight or regulations being enforced by foreign countries. On the other hand, there are some governments with stricter food guidelines and rules, making their products more attractive to American shoppers. In her work, How Food Fraud Happens, Dr. Karen Everstine references the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) when outlining the seven categories of food fraud. Casting a wider net than others, the list below is a useful reference as to how consumers are at the mercy of indiscriminate purveyors and criminal enterprises: Dilution/Substitution: This can occur either through partial or full substitution of a liquid or granulated product, even the swapping of an entire intact product such as a fish filet. It also could be accurately described when sunflower oil is partially substituted with mineral oil. What is not diluted or substituted is the use of hydrolyzed leather protein in milk because it is not used to replace weight or volume. Instead, this would be viewed as an artificial enhancement of the protein content of milk. Still, the thought of a foreign substance added to your food isn’t pleasant.

Concealment: All food fraud involves concealment of food’s exact contents. One example is when poultry is injected with hormones to conceal disease, and the use of antibiotics and antifungal agents to reduce bacteria or mask deterioration. These

actions would fit under this classification. Added to this list is the undeclared, unapproved, or use of banned biocides, coloring agents, or artificial flavors. Mislabeling: Since all food fraud is, to some extent, mislabeling, the use of the term fraudulent labeling refers to claims that describe a production process (organic, kosher, etc.). However, it excludes the falsification of expiration dates. Unapproved enhancements: The fraudulent addition of a substance specifically for its function and not as a replacement for weight or volume would fit this classification. Gray-market production/theft/diversion: The production and sale of food products through unregulated channels would meet the criteria of this category. Because these forms of food fraud involve the sale of food outside of regulatory control, prevention measures are different from the prevention of fraud within legitimate supply chains. Counterfeiting: Similar to the gray-market, this is specific to intellectual property infringement and production outside of regulatory control.

With so much information to decipher, where does this leave an unsuspecting consumer? It puts you front and center of the issue and leaves little choice but to become an expert shopper and create a personal list of vendors you can trust.

For example, the organic, non-GMO, cagefree, eggs—grown locally—is an easier claim to verify, if the farm they come from could be visited during a Sunday drive. To rely on product labels promoting similar claims, at a location a thousand miles away, is obviously more complicated, and leaves open the chances of substitution, mislabeling, and concealment.

As for counterfeiting, a popular product ripe for trouble is virgin olive oil. Olive oil is one of the most popular ingredients used in cooking; however, it is also on top of the list for abuse. In a study conducted by UC Davis Olive Center, investigators found that in samples of bottles labeled ‘extra virgin olive oil,’ only 69 percent contained the actual product. In case after case, manufacturers have been found cutting their top-end products with vegetable oil, soybean oil, and other substances. And don’t believe if you buy oil from Italy, you’ll cut your losses; there have been numerous reports of nefarious actors in Sicily who are involved in the lucrative trade and keep watch over their business.

Moving on to the rest of your shopping cart, even with laws about labeling, you need to be vigilant. Fish is supposed to have ‘fresh’ or ‘frozen’ on the disclaimer next to it in the seafood case, along with the price, but how do you know what the label says is true? Oceana.org found that 39% of seafood in New York City was mislabeled when checking samples. Of course, if you live in New England, the odds decrease that you’ll be duped into buying a misrepresented species, but as we have reported in the past, the public needs to be aware that scallops are routinely soaked in chemicals to add weight, fish may be caught, put on ice to the point of freezing, and then defrosted when it gets unloaded and sold as fresh. And, shellfish: because of the industrial age and the placement of polluting factories built on rivers and harbors where seabeds once thrived, it’s imperative you learn where your oysters, clams, and lobsters have been harvested. Be sure your fish market isn’t purchasing products from contaminated areas at a lower price—sans documentation. Ground beef and pork is another issue. Countless stories

circulate about horse meat and other unclaimed substances going into hamburger and processed products. While it isn’t as prevalent in the US, it is always best to have your meats ground by the butcher while you wait; that way, you’ll know precisely what you’re buying.

Fruit drinks, juices, and other refreshments targeted at children are notorious for substitutions; filled with water, excessive sugar, plus coloring and flavors, these are all substitutes for the real deal. Some companies are so deceptive that they have been found to add ingredients that can imitate the look of newly pressed fruit juice. Here again, a smaller batch from a known source is worth the few extra cents you’ll pay locally.

Other items often hijacked are; honey, coffee, black pepper, spices, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and wine. Unless you can research and come to the conclusion what you are buying is real, the chance you are being scammed increases significantly.

‘Let the buyer beware’ has never been more truthful. We live in a world where profits blind integrity, where regulations—while they help, can also have an opposite effect. Little doubt, restaurants are being squeezed due to wage increases, higher food cost—for less quality, huge insurance bills, and everrising taxes.

While Americans love to dine out, everyone has to make tough decisions. While adding increased cost to their annual grocery budget, consumers are switching to discount grocery stores. But, is this going to improve the situation? Quality costs money, and when you factor in the different levels of production and delivery, you have to question the authenticity of the products you’re buying, and as it used to be called out in the drug trade, “how many times has it been stepped on?”

It would seem that to get the most out of your food shopping, it’s essential you know your vendors and local food sources as much as you can—while you can. Farms are being threatened all over the country, and if we’re not careful, they will disappear forever. H Food fraud is defined as, “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.