Spanish researchers have carried out a preliminary study using an electronic tongue based on potential multistep pulse voltammetry, in combination with multivariate statistical techniques to detect and quantify sugar syrup in honey. Pure monofloral honey (heather, orange blossom and sunflower), sugar syrup (derived from rice, barley and maize), and samples simulating adulterated honey with different percentages of syrup (2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40) were evaluated. An automatic, electrochemical system for cleaning and polishing the electronic tongue sensors (Ir, Rh, Pt, Au) significantly improved the repeatability and accuracy of the measurements. PCA analysis showed that the proposed methodology is able to distinguish between types of pure honey and syrup, and their different levels of adulterants. A subsequent PLS analysis successfully predicted the level of the adulterants in each honey, achieving good correlations considering the adjusting parameters. The measurement system here proposed has the potential to be a quick and effective option for the honey packaging sector. However, much further work is needed to see how effective this technique is with a wider range of monofloral honey, blended honey and commercial sugar syrups.

Read the abstract at: electronic tongue and honey adulteration

In this study, NGS (next generation sequencing) using the Ion Torrent semiconductor platform was applied to identify meat species in several highly processed and complex meat products and meat derived broths (a döner kebab, a beef/pork paté, a meat based filling of tortellini, one instant granular preparation of broth stock made from meat, and two ready-to-use meat broths from different producers). Sequence analysis of reads from 6 libraries detected expected and unexpected meat species in the products. A measure of poor hygienic practice during production of the analysed products could be inferred using the number of human reads. In conclusion, NGS data is useful for authentication of highly processed products.

Read the abstract at: NGS of meat products

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has increasingly been applied in the field of food authenticitation. Its instrumental variability is very low so that it is possible to compile large databases of authentic spectra. This review discusses the application of NMR for authenticating honey, beer and spices. For honey, it is possible to verify the botanical origin and exclude adulteration with sugars. In beer analysis, it is possible to distinguish between major beer types and to detect the geographical origin of beer. In spice analysis, NMR allows to detect crude adulterations (e.g. of saffron) or quantify marker ingredients such as essential oils.

                 Read the full review at: NMR authentication

This report (Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1165. Rome, Italy) prepared by Alan Reilly (ex head of FSA-Ireland)  presents evidence highlighting the serious consequences of fraud for the fish sector. It describes the different types of fraud that can take place along the fish supply chain, for example: intentional mislabelling, species substitution, overglazing and overbreading, and the use of added water and undeclared water-binding agents to increase weight. 

It  shows that combating fish fraud is a complex task that requires the strengthening of national food regulatory programmes and the development of effective, science-based traceability systems and improved methods for fish authenticity testing. It highlights the need for the fish industry to develop and implement systems for fish fraud vulnerability assessment in order to identify potential sources of fish fraud within their supply chains, and to prioritise control measures to minimize the risk of receiving fraudulent or adulterated raw materials or ingredients. The publication also indicates an important role for the Codex Alimentarius Commission – to work in collaboration with countries inorder to develop international principles and guidelines designed to identify, manage and mitigate fraudulent practices in food trade and to develop guidelines to standardise food safety management systems for fish fraud vulnerability assessment. 

 Read the abstract here, and the full report

The EU Food Fraud Network and the System for Administrative Assistance & Food Fraud has published its 2017 Annual Report. The Report shows  how the Network interacts with the other alert system RASFF in the exchange of cases for the AAC-AA (administrative assistance and cooperation in the non-compliance cases not representating risks to public health). It also exchanges cases in the AAC-FF, which are non-compliance food fraud cases along the agri-food chain.  The report gives information on the number of cases (for AAC-AA and AAC-FF) exchanged by country, and where mislabelling is the largest type of non-compliance for AAC-AA, and joint largest for AAC-FF with replacemt or adulteration of ingredients. 

The  total number cases exchanged for AAC-AA in 2017 was 597, which compares to 87 in 2016. This increase is largely due to the coordinated control programme for on-line products (reported on the website on 1 March).  There were 178 cases exchanged on AAC-FF in 2017, compared to 156 in 2016 and 8 in 2015. The caveat on these AAC-FF numbers is that they represent cases reported on a voluntary basis and only for cross-border non-compliance, but it does not include cases carried out by MSs (Member States) at a national level. The report also discusses the 16 coordinated cases concerning fraudulent practices by the European Commission and the appropriate MS, where the Commission acts as an intelligence hub for MSs.

Read the 2017 annual report: 2017 EU Food Fraud Network

In this study, the concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Na, P, and S and element ratios were determined in 140 Hungarian mono-floral honey samples (acacia, linden, sunflower, rape, chestnut, forest, silk grass, and facelia) by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results were chemometrically analysed using one-way ANOVA (LSD and Dunnett T3 test) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to determine the botanical origin based on the element content and element ratio of different honey types. Examination of element ratios showed that K/Na and K/Mg ratios were able to separate every honey type from each other with 100% cross-validation. 

Read the abstract at: Floral origin of honey

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of some adulteration agents (fructose and hydrolysed inulin syrup) on physico-chemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, water activity and CIEL*a*b* parameters) and Raman spectra of some honey types (acacia, tilia and polyfloral) from the North East part of Romania.  Unlike physico-chemical analyses and color analysis, which determine only the degree of falsification of honey, Raman analysis enables identification of falsification agent based on specific vibrational bands recorded.

 Read the full paper at: Authenticity of Romanian Honey

Brazilian authorities have reportedly moved to suspend exports from poultry processor BRF SA to the European Union earlier this month, according to Reuters. While only a temporary ban of about a month is envisaged, BRF is currently under investigation on the suspicion of food fraud to evade food safety checks. The export suspension affects 10 out of 35 BRF plants in Brazil. BRF is understood to have shipped 278,000t of poultry and processed products to Europe last year. It said its products shipped to Europe before March 16 could still be sold and consumed without restriction, adding that the suspension was “preemptive”.

The Public Analyst (PA) function at West Yorkshire Analytical Services (WYAS) will cease at the end of March. WYAS is the official control laboratory for five West Yorkshire local authorities, but from April, it will continue its food and beverage testing to private companies and local authorities on an informal basis. The closure of WYAS's PA function follows close on the heels of the closure of Staffordshire Scientific Services, and is a result in both cases of reduced local authority financial support. There are now only four PA laboratories left in England financed by local authorities - Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire and Worcestershire. The PA laboratories in Hull and Wolverhampton are run by the private company Public Analyst Scientific Services. 

Overall it shows the Public Analyst service in England is losing its capability and capacity to enforce food standards legislation effectively. The APA (Association of Public Analysts) reported that the number of official control samples taken by local authorities fell by 26% from 92,122 samples in 2010/11 to 68,471 in 2014/15. The service needs more government support to continue effectively.

Read the article at: WYAS PA to end

The Treasury has given the FSA an extra £14million on top of the original budget of £89million for 20018/19. The extra money is to support the priorities of the FSA to ensure a high standard of food safety and consumer protection after Brexit. It is also to fund Phase 2 of the NFCU (National Food Crime Unit), which will build up the investigative capabalities of the Unit. Phase 2 is hoped to be operational by 1 April 2019.

Read the article at: FSA budget increase

The Belgium's Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, FASFC, has been investigating a meat supply company Veviba and withdrawn approval of  a meat cutting plant and a cold store run by the company, which supplies mincemeat and oxtail to Belgian retailers. In addition, it has announced that Hong Kong, Ivory Coast and Kosovo had been recipients until the end of 2016 of meat distributed by Veviba, including products that had the dates they were frozen on changed. Belgian Agriculture Minister Denis Ducarme accused Veviba of using "mafia practices" when it came to distributing meat. The report by FASFC has advised consumers not to eat raw mincemeat from the affected retailers, and also that the three nations affected, had been notified of the problem.

  Read the FASFC Press Release and reports: Belgian meat fraud

Researchers at BfR (the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment) have developed a non-targeted method to detect paprika adulteration using Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy and one-class soft independent modelling of class analogy (OCSIMCA). One-class models based on commercially available paprika powders were developed. The performances of the models for adulteration detection were tested by predicting spiked paprika samples with various types of fraudulent material and levels of adulterations including 1% (w/w) Sudan I, 1% (w/w) Sudan IV, 3% (w/w) lead chromate, 3% (w/w) lead oxide, 5% (w/w) silicon dioxide, 10% (w/w) polyvinyl chloride, and 10% (w/w) gum arabic. By applying different preprocessing methods including standard normal variate (SNV), first and second derivatives, smoothing, and combinations thereof, it was possible to identify the adulterants with a specificity of greater than 80% .

Read the abstract at: paprika adulteration

Australian researchers used mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy coupled with attenuated total reflectance (ATR), and applied multivariate analysis, to analyse a series of different beer types in order to confirm their identity (e.g. ale vs lager, commercial vs craft beer). Correct classification rates of 100% were achieved in order to differentiate between ale and lager and also between commercial and craft beer sample types, respectively.  Furthermore, dissolved gases in the beer products were proven not to interfere as overlapping artefacts in the analysis. The benefits of using MIR-ATR for rapid and detailed analysis coupled with multivariate analysis can be considered a valuable tool for researchers and brewers interested in quality control, traceability and food authenticity.

             Read the abstract at: MIR-ATR of Beer

You can watch an exclusive interview with Chris Elliott for the magazine New Food made at the Food Fraud a Global Insight Conference held in London on 1 March. Prof Elliott discusses how to deal with criminal elements and also improve traceability. 

Watch the video at: Chris Elliott at Food Fraud Conference

US import figures suggest countries are selling more organic agricultural products than they have capacity to produce, raising questions about the likelihood of food fraud and mislabelled organic products entering the US market. According to the figures presented at a recent USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, US-produced organic corn and soybean increasd 12.9 per cent and 12.3 per cent respectively since 2014, making the US the largest producer of both these crops. Import data, however, shows that foreign-produced organic-labelled products have also increased, with imports of organic soybean increasing 13 per cent and imports of organic corn increasing 5.9 per cent in 2017. According to Peter Golbitz, founder of organic consulting service Agromeris, the amount of organic-labelled corn and soybean being imported from some countries into the US is above what those countries can produce, raising concerns of mislabelling and fraud. This is one of the reasons why a new Bill is being proposed called the "Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act", which would seek to provide the USDA's National Organic Program with between $15m and $20m a year from 2018 to 2023 to upgrade compliance and enforcement actions in the US and abroad, while an additional $5m would improve tracking of international organic trade.

Read the article at: Organic Import Data

 Also look at our previous News on this USDA initiative

This study aimed to evaluate portable near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in combination with chemometrics to distinguish organic milk from other types of milk, and compare its performance with benchtop NIRS and fatty acid profiling by gas chromatography. The sample set included 37 organic retail milks and 50 non-organic retail milks (of which 36 conventional and 14 green ‘pasture’ milks). Partial least squares discriminant analysis was performed to build classification models and kernel density estimation (KDE) functions were calculated to generate non-parametric distributions for samples’ class probabilities. These distributions showed that portable NIRS was successful to distinguish organic milks from conventional milks, and so were benchtop NIRS and fatty acid profiling procedures. 

However, it was less successful when ‘pasture’ milks were considered too, since their patterns occasionally resembled those of the organic milk group. Fatty acid profiling was capable of distinguishing organic milks from both non-organic milks, even including the ‘pasture’ milks. This comparative study revealed that the classification performance of the portable NIRS for this application was similar to that of the benchtop NIRS.

                 Read the abstract at: NIR Method for Organic Milk

In this article, untargeted methods capable determining the authenticity of foods are reviewed. The article also reviews and discusses a more specific focus on methods for detecting fish adulteration/substitution and involving sensory, physicochemical, DNA-based, chromatographic and spectroscopic measurements, combined with chemometric tools.
                      Read the full review at: untargeted methods for fish

The European Court of Auditors (ECA),  which is the EU's independent external auditor, is conducting an audit of organic-food checks in the EU. The auditors will examine the control system governing the production, processing, distribution and import of organic products. They will seek to assess whether consumers can now have greater confidence that products are truly organic than they could at the time of the ECA’s last audit of the sector in 2012. 

Retail sales in the EU organic market grew by 54% between 2010 and 2015. The total area under organic farming in the EU increased by 21% over the same period. Imports of organic produce grew by 32% between 2012 and 2015. Although the price of organic products is higher than that of conventionally produced products, the market struggles to meet demand and the premium that consumers are willing to pay has the potential to encourage fraudulent organic sales. The ECA has also published a background paper on the organic food supply. 

Under the Common Agricultural Policy, certified organic farmers receive a “greening” payment. Organic farmers can also receive support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development for both conversion to and maintenance of organic farming practices. This Fund’s total contribution to organic-farming payments for 2014–2020 amounts to €6.5 billion.

The audit report is due to be published in early 2019. It will form part of a series of ECA reports on various aspects of the food chain that includes Food Waste, Animal Welfare (underway) and Food Safety (underway).

                Read the ECA's Press Release at: Organic Supply Audit

Indian researchers have developed a protocol based on PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) by treating a 515 bp fragment in the highly polymorphic mitochondrial D-loop region with a single enzyme Tsp5091 to give fragment fingerprints to identify 9 species of snapper. Individual species could be differentiated by 3–5 major bands. Very closely related species like L. fulvus and L. fulviflamma gave similar patterns due to high (94%) identity, while the other seven species were clearly differentiated. The method worked with frozen, cooked and fried fish, and was tested on samples of snapper purchased in a local market.              Read the abstract at: snapper identification                               

This report gives the outcomes of a voluntary coordinated survey in 25 Member States plus Norway and Switzerland in which the MSs' food control authorities were asked to search the Internet for websites, which offer in their respective official language(s) four novel food products for sale to the consumers in their country. The four products, all of which are not authorised in the EU, were: 

• Agmatine (4-aminobutyl) guanidine sulfate
• Acacia rigidula
• Epimedium grandiflorum and
• Hoodia gordoni

The authorities were also requested to check websites, which offer food supplements with misleading statements contrary to the rules on fair information practices, and more specifically, to search for offers of food supplements with information that attributes to them the property of preventing, treating or curing bone and joint diseases or refer to such properties with diseaserelated expressions, pictures or symbols. 

The authorities checked nearly 1100 websites and found 428 offers of unauthorised novel foods and 351 food supplements with medicinal claims making a total of 779 offers for sale of products, which were clearly non-compliant with EU legislation. The report also indicates what follow-up action was taken by the food authorities in terms of closing the respective offers, notifying RASFF etc. 

Read the report at: on-line supplements