Marta González , Professor of the Master in Food Safety Management at Bureau Veritas Training. Doctor in Veterinary Medicine.
Hamburgers made from horse meat, bluefin tuna coloured with beetroot juice or organic tea containing pesticides are just some of the foods involved in fraud in recent years.
In the absence of a clear definition, food fraud is defined as the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, manipulation or misleading presentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging; or false or misleading claims made about a product with the aim of obtaining an economic benefit. This, of course, implies non-compliance with food legislation, but it can also cause health risks and, most certainly, entails a loss of consumer confidence: thus, it becomes a food safety problem due to doubts about the traceability of food and the integrity of the supply chain.
Both the IFS standard , which certifies that a company has established the appropriate processes to guarantee the safety of the food products it manufactures and which is the most widely used in instagram data countries such as Germany or France, and the BRC standard (widely used among retailers in the United Kingdom) include requirements to prevent fraud.
BRC explains that some of its objectives are to prevent food fraud and possible cases of bioterrorism, sabotage and/or food vandalism. In addition, one of the fundamental requirements establishes that the company must have procedures for the approval and monitoring of suppliers that allow raw materials, including packaging, to be safe both in terms of legality and in terms of product quality. In addition, a documented evaluation of raw materials is required according to their vulnerability to analyze the potential risks of adulteration or substitution.
In the case of the IFS standard, it determines that the company will take appropriate measures to control the final product, based on a hazard analysis and carrying out an assessment of the associated risks that have an impact on food safety and quality, including adulteration and fraud. The new version 7 of IFS seems to intensify its requirements for fraud control.
On the other hand, to reinforce official controls, the EU has published Regulation 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls performed to ensure the application of the legislation on food and feed, animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products, which will replace the current regulation on official controls, Regulation (EC) 882/2004 and Regulation (EU) 854/2004 as of 14 December 2019.
The Regulation highlights the following new features :
Extending the scope to the entire agri-food chain.
Greater transparency
Measures for fraud management, by requiring Member States to carry out unscheduled , regular and risk-based controls.
Creation of centres for the authenticity and integrity of the agri-food chain
Control of e-commerce via the Internet, by obtaining random and anonymous samples through the “mystery shopper”.
Implementation of an Official Controls Information Management System (SGICO) which will consist of a new computer system that will integrate all existing information exchange systems for maximum effectiveness of resources.
Official controls shall be carried out by competent, impartial and appropriately trained authorities of the Member States to verify compliance with the requirements set out in the agri-food chain legislation.
These checks, which are specified in common rules, will also apply to imports of animals and goods entering the EU from third countries, including the United Kingdom from now on. At the new Border Control Posts, physical, documentary and identity checks will be carried out at an appropriate frequency depending on the risk posed by animals and goods.