Posts

Food fraud awareness grows as problem persists

avatar of @doitvoluntarily
25
DIV
@doitvoluntarily
·
0 views
·
2 min read

Food fraud is a multi-billion dollar problem in the market today where people are unknowingly purchasing food items that might not be what they claim to be.

Millions of people are tricked into buying something they might not mean to be, they could be purchasing something they otherwise wouldn't have went with if they were made fully aware of the ingredients.

It has been estimated that this could be a multi-billion dollar issue with food today.

food fraud includes items involving mislabeling, counterfeits, as well as food items with dilutions, and substitutions.

Some of the most common items that could be impacted are things like:

  • herbs and spices

  • meat, poultry, fish,

  • vegetable oils,

  • honey

  • olive oil

  • coffee, tea

  • and grains.

Some have suggested that you might try to avoid this issue by shopping local but there have even been issues found there as well, with local farmers markets for example. Also, not everyone has the time to browse multiple places locally to gather everything that they might need, if everything isn't available in one spot that takes more time and money. Those who are already struggling might not have the option to go that route. Food fraud has been found with small suppliers too. So what else is there to do?

Being aware of the problem could be a first step, knowing which items might be more prone to being tinkered with such as olive oil, honey, fish, and other goods. But what then? Reading the label might also give some clues.

There are also some labels like PDO and PGI which could indicate a higher quality food item that has possibly been distinguished as a quality good.

Experts have also suggested avoiding purchasing processed foods when possible altogether to try and avoid the issue. Trying to buy from a brand with a good reputation is another route to go and you can always look online to find more info about where the food is coming from that is being sold by a certain store or company.

Pics: pixabay Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/10/23/top-10-at-risk-fraudulent-foods-surprising-and-disheartening/?sh=4ca8d4ca5945