Food Authenticity

WHAT IS FOOD FRAUD?

Although there is no single consensus definition of food fraud, as a general matter, it “is a collective term used to encompass the 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.” (Spink and Moyer (2011)). 

The Federal Food Drug & Cosmetics Act was enacted to protected consumers from dangerous drugs, adulterated and deceptively packaged foods. Today, it provides a comprehensive labeling scheme designed to assure product authenticity enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. Despite this comprehensive scheme, however, products are routinely adultered and misbranded. While some fraud results only in economic loss, as the consumer did not receive what he/she paid for, other types of fraud (e.g. undisclosed ingredients, ingredient substitution or adulteration) can pose a safety or health risk. Over the past decade:

• Commodities such as coffee, honey, milk and spices were routinely adulterated with junk fillers and fake ingredients.
• Vitamins and supplements did not contain promised ingredients, or contained  amounts far less than promised.  
• Fruit juices have been watered down, substituted and artificially sweetened
• High value fish species have been substituted for cheaper, less healthful species
• Pesticide ridden conventional foods were sold as organic.
• Food, vitamins, and supplements that contain heavy metals in excess of federal and state (Proposition 65) limits