SHOW REVIEW

Eat the food you trust; trust

the food you eat | Lessons
from Food Fraud 2017
A healthy society is built on the cornerstone of trust. Our everyday relationships are
centred around trust. We trust that our cars are not going to fall apart when we drive
to work. We trust the teachers of our children; our partners; our parents.

So do we trust the food that contamination was deliberate or not is 4. Human slavery
keeps us alive and well? irrelevant to the affected. We see examples of modern day
Consumer trust in the food industry is ɉ=şÒŸôƥĸÒĸîęÒĭĭƗîşęŜŜĭúŦŰĔúęĸôęƐęôŸÒĭ slavery associated with fraudulent
on the decline in light of scandals such or company,” Chris Elliott explained. practice. As fraudulent activity is by
as the inescapable European horse meat “Food fraud kills.” ôúƥĸęŰęłĸęĭĭúčÒĭȦŰĔúƑÒƗŦęĸƑĔęîĔęŰ
incident in 2013 and melamine milk is carried out have no necessary regard
incident in China. Food fraud is sinister, 2. Environmental damage for regulation or legislation or for the
ƐÒŦŰĭƗŜşłƥŰÒíĭúÒĸôÒƐúşƗşúÒĭłîîŸşşúĸîúȫ Fraudsters have little consideration for protection of its workers. Consequently,
Following New Food’s inaugural Food Fraud environmental conscience. The stripping many workers are paid next to nothing
conference held in Manchester, we take a łČŰĔúłîúÒĸɌŦşÒşúƥŦĔŰĔÒŰÒşúîĔúÒŜúş for backbreaking work in developing
look at the lessons learned. than tuna then proceeding to claim that the nations so that corrupted products can
“Food fraud is a global issue,” Professor products subsequently made are comprised be enjoyed in the developed world for
Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast, of tuna represents an example of how food unrealistically low prices.
asserted as he opened the event. It fast fraudsters champion economic gain over
became clear that we criminally under- sustainable development. 5. The economic disruption
appreciate the scale of the threat. to the food supply chain
3. Ethical implications Overall, food fraud introduces and
Why is food fraud so dangerous? The imperative of ensuring that halal perpetuates an unsustainable, unjust
EúşúÒşúŰĔúƥƐúúĶŜęşęîÒĭÒĸôƐúşƗşúÒĭ and kosher products remain so has no imbalance in the food industry from farm
ways in which fraud is currently diluting the price for those it affects. Once again, to fork.
integrity of the food industry: fraudsters have no interest as to whether “The business model is not to do harm
or not halal or kosher laws are adhered as this is easier to detect,” Professor
1. Health threat to when creating the products, but if Elliott maintained.
If a food product label falsely claims that exposed, you cannot place a value on the “I often say: criminals are stupid and
it contains no trace of peanuts, then this spiritual hurt felt by the respective religious generally get caught. The fraudulent are
has the potential to be fatal. Whether the communities affected. clever and often avoid capture.”

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SHOW REVIEW

“No silver bullet”

Food fraud is a fundamentally complex
criminal activity which necessitates that the
solution be equally multi-dimensional.
At Food Fraud 2017, Paul Willgoss of
Marks & Spencer spoke about a project with
which the company is cooperating, entitled
the Food Industry Intelligence Network
(FIIN). The theory behind the project is that
the UK industry works with itself, each
party able to engage in anonymous data
ŦĔÒşęĸčęĸłşôúşŰłƥĸôîłĭĭúîŰęƐúŦłĭŸŰęłĸŦ
to ensuring food integrity.
“It was amazing how the horse meat
žĔúŜúŜŜúşęĸôŸŦŰşƗƑÒŦĔęčĔĭęčĔŰúôŰłęĭĭŸŦŰşÒŰúęŰŦŜłŰúĸŰęÒĭęĸƥĭŰşÒŰęłĸ scandal changed opinion,” Mr Willgoss
stated, who co-chairs FIIN with Helen
Sissons of Greencore.
Case study – British One tonne of red meat equates to around “Nobody wins out of a food scare and the
Pepper & Spice £10,000 in market value whereas one tonne industry – certainly in the UK – is beginning
At Food Fraud 2017, we were fortunate of oregano is worth £100,000. This alone to sit up and take notice of this.”
enough to be presented with a diversity of gives us an idea as to the true scope of the FIIN ultimately unites both government
speakers offering different angles into the opportunity for mass-scale corruption in and the industry, encouraging
issue. One of these was provided by John the herb and spice industry. communication between parties. In essence,
Hill, Technical Director at British Pepper we all have the same aim: ensuring the
& Spice, who detailed a case study of the Solving the problem safety and integrity of our food. We must
herb and spice supply chain and directed us In short, the food industry and its supply now focus on providing an environment
towards the pepper industry, predominantly chain is grossly over-complicated and within which this fundamental point
based in Vietnam, to illustrate its complex and most speakers advocated a becomes clear and communicable.
ŜłŰúĸŰęÒĭęĸƥĭŰşÒŰęłĸȫ ŦęĶŜĭęƥîÒŰęłĸłČŰĔúŦƗŦŰúĶÒŰĭÒşčúȫ “There is nothing like FIIN anywhere in
Often the production centres in which While there are no black and white the world,” Chris Elliott lauded, voicing
the peppers are stored and dried resemble solutions, it’s more important that we as an the general panel consensus that the UK
basic shacks erected in rural Vietnam industry align our goals rather with ensuring is probably leading the way with respect to
and Mr Hill explained, before showing that it is as disincentivised and discouraged ęĸęŰęÒŰęƐúŦŰĔÒŰƥčĔŰČłşČłłôęĸŰúčşęŰƗȫ
us video evidence, that this stage at as far as possible. One of the main lessons learned from
which the grinding process takes Food Fraud 2017 was that we must provide
place remains the most susceptible to Blockchain might the necessary platforms for science to voice
contamination. Chickens are seen in the offer a solution challenges and concerns to the industry and
footage to be running around while grinding, Technology has the potential to simplify as food fraud is a global issue, our approach
storing and drying is taking place. We are the transnational processes within the food must therefore be of an international nature.
then shown the picking process as it takes supply chain and ensure that each link
place in India in footage that depicts several in the chain has a digital footprint with So who is going to drive
women picking the plants, stooped breaking which the consumer could theoretically this? Regulator, consumer
their backs in the sweltering heat. The trace a product from farm to fork. or the industry?
footage then cuts back to Vietnam and an There is “no magic bullet,” outlined Kieran While all parties are undoubtedly
alarming scene in which peppers are bleached Kelly, CEO at arc-net. implicated, this ultimately needs to be
with Hydrogen Peroxide, in what looks like a “However, the transparency that industry driven as the expert panel and
cement mixer. blockchain offers the food industry is audience agreed.
“It’s real and it’s happening,” Mr Hill invaluable. It provides consumers with the žĔúƥĸÒĭŞŸúŦŰęłĸşúĶÒęĸŦŰĔúşúČłşúȦ
ƥĸÒĭĭƗƑÒşĸúôȫɉ¾úĸúúôÒŦęĶŜĭęƥúô tools to track each stage of the process. and New Food poses this to the food
supply chain that validates, knows and “Blockchain connects the product industry at large:
uses reputable suppliers.” to the consumer and as blockchain is a How do we translate the rhetoric and
cryptographic phenomenon available to all, lessons learned from Food Fraud 2017 into
The oregano issue it has the potential to connect all parties in tangible action?
Oregano is another herb frequently order to necessarily legitimise relationships.” I suppose we’ll have to wait until
manipulated by fraudsters. Professor Elliott Does technology such as the blockchain Food Fraud 2018 to answer that one….
opened by describing the lessons learned offer us the transparency that will
ČşłĶŰĔúƥĸôęĸčŦłČÒŦŰŸôƗłČDZǴîłŸĸŰęúŦ ultimately restore consumer trust in the
of which 23 were found to be handling industry? In the digital age, should this not newfoodfraud.com
imperfect oregano to varying degrees. be provided in digital terms?

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