Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 03 | JULY 2016 technical knowledge about the quality assurance systems and analytical methods currently in use . The fraudsters then use tools and substances that would not be detectable with the typical quality control methods . In the case of infant formula , it was the clever addition of melamine , a small , nitrogen-rich molecule , which allowed the sale of low protein milk that appeared to meet the standards for protein content . In China at the time , milk was tested using the Dumas or Kjeldahl methods , both of which measured the nitrogen content as a proxy for protein content . Food fraud had become a white collar crime , supported by scientists working on the side of the fraudsters . Unfortunately , history continues to repeat itself ; in April of this year , there was yet another incident of fake infant formula uncovered by the Chinese authorities .
Melamine adulteration of milk in China took the lives of several infants and caused liver and kidney damage in hundreds of thousands of children . It also caused direct losses of $ 3 billion to the dairy industry in China in the first three months alone 3 . Both the health and economic consequences of food fraud can be staggering . The Grocery Manufacturers Association ( GMA ) and A . T . Kearney estimated the annual global cost of
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Changbai Xiu , K . K . Klein , Melamine in milk products in China : Examining the factors that led to deliberate use of the contaminant , Food Policy , Volume 35 , Issue 5 , October 2010 , Pages 463-470 , ISSN 0306-9192 , http :// dx . doi . org / 10.1016 / j . foodpol . 2010.05.001 .
4 https :// www . gmaonline . org / downloads / wygwam / consumerproductfraud . pdf
5 https :// www . undercurrentnews . com / 2015 / 11 / 27 / beston-to-launch-world-first-food-traceability-app /
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Fred Gale and Dinghuan Hu . Supply Chain Issues in China ‘ s Milk Adulteration Incident . International Association of Agricultural Economists ‘ 2009 Conference ( 16-22 August 2009 in Beijing , China ). food fraud to be US $ 10-15 billion 4 while Roger Sexton , executive chairman of Beston Global Food Company ( BGFC ), estimated global food counterfeiting to be worth US $ 1.7 trillion 5 . In the pursuit of economic gain , perpetrators have been known to use everything from less costly food-grade ingredients to industrial chemicals not fit for consumption . Food fraud happens in numerous ways and is usually tailored to the particular attributes of a given ingredient and supply chain . The United States Pharmacopeial Convention will release an updated and enhanced Food Fraud Database later this year , which broadly outlines seven methods of food fraud adulteration :
• Dilution or substitution with an alternate ingredient ( this can include misrepresentation of geographic , botanical , varietal , or animal origin ; or the addition of a non-food grade substance );
• Artificial enhancement of perceived quality ( with substances that increase apparent protein content , enhance color , or increase organoleptic qualities )
• The use of non-declared , unapproved , or banned biocides ( such as antibiotics , preservatives , or anti-fungal agents );
• Misrepresentation of nutritional content ;
• Fraudulent labeling claims ( such as organic , halal , cage-free , etc .);
• Removal of authentic constituents ; and
• Formulation of an artificial product through the use of multiple adulterants and techniques .
Since the melamine scandal , attention to the problem of food fraud has been growing . However , it is not easy to determine if the number of food fraud incidents has been increasing over recent years , since the communication infrastructure of today is very different from the 19 th century . While most news used to be local , today news of food fraud can become available worldwide within minutes . The perceived increase in the number of food fraud reports may be due to several factors , including heightened media attention , improved detection systems , more whistle blowers , better traceability , and possibly an actual increase in the number of incidents . Figure 2 shows the overall increasing trend in the number of Google searches for “ food fraud ” over recent years .
Many people argue that the growing complexity of global food supply chains increases the motive and opportunity for fraud . Prior to the discovery of melamine adulteration of milk in China , the supply chain for milk was highly decentralized , and relied on a complex network of small farmers , brokers , drivers , village milking stations , and milk consolidation stations ( see Figure 3 ). At the time , sixty percent of the milk in China came from farms with 20 or fewer cows 6 . This system was flexible and kept costs relatively low , since many of the small farmers relied on family labor . The horsemeat investigation similarly revealed a complex network of companies , suppliers , and traders ; however , in this case , the network spanned at least six countries .
Recent updates to food safety schemes ( such as the Global Food Safety Initiative - GFSI ) and regulations such as those resulting from the U . S . Food Safety Modernization Act ( FSMA ) now require industry to put in place
Figure 2 . Google searches for the term “ food fraud ” over time
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