fraud (19)

This review (purchase required) and its associated recommendations is primarily aimed at regulators and competent authorities, but also has implications for food businesses.

The aim of was to consider food-related fraud prevention initiatives, understand what has worked well, and develop a series of recommendations on preventing food fraud, both policy related and for future research.

The authors found that reactive (including intelligence based) food fraud detection dominates over prevention strategies, especially where financial, knowledge, and time resources are scarce. First-generation tools have been developed for food fraud vulnerability assessment, risk analysis, and development of food fraud prevention strategies. However, examples of integrated food control management systems at food business operator, supply chain, and regulatory levels for prevention are limited.

They conclude that the lack of hybrid (public/private) integration of food fraud prevention strategies, as well as an effective verification ecosystem, weakens existing food fraud prevention plans. While there are several emergent practice models for food fraud prevention, they need to be strengthened to focus more specifically on capable guardians and target hardening.

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This review (open access) covers technological and digital solutions to mitigate food fraud risk, concentrating on recent developments.  It categorises solutions as either systematic interventions (e.g. risk prioritisation databases, digital fraud prediction tools), fraud detection techniques (analytical test methods) or package-level technologies (e.g. traceability systems, anti-counterfeiting markers, RFID tags).

It concludes that a notable gap exists in converting laboratory based sophisticated technologies to tools in high-paced, live industrial applications. New frontiers such as handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (liBS) and smart-phone spectroscopy have emerged for rapid food authentication. Multifunctional devices with hyphenating sensing mechanisms that are combined with deep learning strategies to compare food fingerprints can be a great leap forward in the industry. Combination of different technologies such as spectroscopy and separation techniques will also be superior where quantification of adulterants are preferred. with the advancement of automation these technologies will be able to be deployed as in-line scanning devices in industrial settings to detect food fraud across multiple points in food supply chains.

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This is Tenet's first edition of their quarterly newsletter specifically focused on the prevention and protection against fraud and financial crime for the food sector.

In each issue, Tenet will provide articles to assist with fraud prevention planning, advice on protecting brand integrity and recomendations to improve quality control - all from a legal perspective.

 

 

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300Over a quarter of consumers actively stated that they distrust government authorities and manufacturers (29% and 26% respectively) found the EIT #FoodTrustReport.

What's damaging consumer trust? Anthony Warner - known as The Angry Chef - says: "there's too much information [about food choices]. It's all very confusing."

In this episode of #EITFoodFight, he and Liesbet Vranken explore:

➡️ Food marketing and health claims like 'detox'
➡️ The role of social media influencers
➡️ Where consumers can get trustworthy information.

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Food fraud and adulteration is a major concern in terms of economic and public health.Multivariate methods combined with spectroscopic techniques have shown promise as a novel analytical strategy for addressing issues related to food fraud that cannot be solved by the analysis of one variable, particularly in complex matrices such distilled beverages.

This review describes and discusses different aspects of whisky production, and recent developments of laboratory, in field and high throughput analysis. In particular, recent applications detailing the use of vibrational spectroscopy techniques combined with data analytical methods used to not only distinguish between brand and origin of whiskey but to also detect adulteration are presented.

Read open access paper here.

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7553664877?profile=RESIZE_710xUS Department of Agriculture has published a proposed rule, aiming to close the "gaps in the current regulations to build consistent certification practices to deter and detect organic fraud."

Part of the proposal will aim to reduce businesses exempted from organic certification. improving traceability with better recordkeeping, and standardizing inspections of organic operation sites.

Read more on the proposed rule in the Food Navigator story.

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Business reputation and trust are as critical now as they’ve ever been.

It is the actions of our leaders, the cultures they create and the employee behaviours that they influence which correlate with how much stakeholders trust a company.

However do leaders appreciate the link between their leadership style and its impact on their teams?

Tenet’s white paper:

- Explores the key risks which arise from the way an organisation is led.

- Debates the role of leadership in driving a culture which increases the risk of fraud.

- Investigates what can be done to reverse unethical behaviour.

Read white paper.

This paper has also been added to the 'Reports' section of our Covid-19 Resource Base and our Food Fraud Mitigation section.

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Research undertaken by Crowe UKKYND and University of Portsmouth’s Centre for Counter Fraud Studies found that the vast majority of the top 200 AIM businesses have significant unaddressed cyber risks. Unfortunately, the risks identified are not just limited to the top 200 AIM businesses and are also likely to exist in similar companies. 

The cyber landscape is becoming increasingly complex, particularly now we're seeing increased strain from fraud and cybercrime pressures related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Fraud and cybercrime is expected to surge over 60% in the coming months. Keeping pace with the evolution of cyber threats is becoming ever more challenging and important. This was evidenced in the report's key findings.

  • 91.5% exposed to email spoofing
  • 47.5% have at least one external internet service exposed, placing them at higher risk of ransomware attack
  • 85% using services with well-known vulnerability to cyber attack
  • 41.5% using vulnerable out of date software
  • 31.5% operating with at least one expired, revoked, or distrusted security certificate
  • 64% companies with at least on domain registered to personal email address.

Download the Fraud and cybercrime vulnerabilities on AIM report

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3823828176?profile=RESIZE_710xThis review provides general information about olive oil and the possible causes of adul­teration, mislabelling, counterfeiting, and fraud of the product. It reviews the possible adulterants in olive oil, the underly­ing causes of adulteration, and how to test for the pres­ence of these adulterants. Data on trade and market dynamics are included. Also, the review focuses primarily on current deceptive practices in the global olive oil trade rather than historical adul­terations.

Read the full review here

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An introduction to DNA melting curve analysis

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This e-seminar, entitled “An introduction to DNA melting curve analysis”, describes the principles behind, as well as best practice guidelines for the application of the post-PCR analytical method of DNA melting curve analysis. The information presented will provide the viewer with a general introduction to PCR-based DNA melting analysis as a method for food authenticity testing, and provide guidance on how to design, implement and analyse PCR DNA melting assay data. Topics covered will include the principles underpinning DNA melting analysis, designing PCR DNA melting assays, examples of PCR instruments compatible with DNA melting analysis, and guidance on troubleshooting. Those who should consider viewing this e-seminar include individuals currently working within the foods molecular testing area, particularly representatives from UK Official Control Laboratories, industry and members of organisations associated with the UK official control network.

View e-seminar here.

The production of this e-seminar was funded by Defra, FSA, FSS and BEIS under the Joint Knowledge Transfer Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis.

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2194260207?profile=RESIZE_710xA Dutch meat trader who was sentenced in France for his role in a 2013 scam that passed off horse meat as beef to food producers across Europe has been arrested by Spanish authorities.

The man, Johannes Fasen, was sentenced in April to two years in prison for his part in the 2013 horsemeat scandal, along with three of his partners in the plot to deceive a French company and consumers by selling 500 tonnes of cheap horse meat as beef.

Read the full story here.

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3211761143?profile=RESIZE_710xThirty-three countries*, INTERPOL, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) joined forces in the Europol-coordinated operation Viribus for a massive crackdown on the trafficking of doping materials and counterfeit medicines. The operation, led by the Italian NAS Carabinieri and co-led by the Financial Unit of the Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία), is the largest action of this kind ever.

Overall results during the entire operation:

  • 3.8 million illicit doping substances and counterfeit medicines seized (seizures included doping substances, dietary supplements, medicines and sport and food supplements);
  • 17 organised groups dismantled;
  • 9 underground labs disrupted;
  • 234 suspects arrested;
  • 839 judicial cases opened;
  • Almost 1 000 individuals reported for the production, commerce or use of doping substances. 

Read full article here.

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Given the rise in international and e-commerce trade, and the lack of statistics about how much fraud takes place in this type of trade, the objective of this study by Italian researchers was to evaluate the authenticity of some Italian PDO cheese and meat products purchased on the internet. Real-Time PCR analysis revealed that 20/28 (71.4%) dairy PDO products and 24/52 (46.1%) PDO meat product samples involved species substitutions differing from their PDO specification. The study highlights the problems and risks faced by e-commerce consumers, and shows that better assurance is required to protect consumers purchasing food on the internet.

 Read the abstract here

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Crowe Clark Whitehill has published a report about consumers expectations, food and drink businesses, and their approach to counter fraud.

The report highlights the divergence between common industry practice and consumer expectations.  For example, consumers expect that food and drink businesses to share information early and not wait until all the facts are known.

Consumers also expect businesses to share information about incidents that result in a financial loss, not just incidents that could cause a health risk. 

Consumers expect businesses to share detailed information with the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit/National Food Crime Unit rather than combined and anonymised data.

The overarching message across the various findings is that consumers expect more transparency. Which is a reasonable expectation. The report is available here: https://lnkd.in/e-G4qNd

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An FDA Press Notice gives details of a new Regulation to prevent food adulteration and fraud. It obliges for the first time all companies (US and foreign) marketing food in the US to complete and maintain a written food defence plan that assesses their potential vulnerabilities to deliberate contamination or adulteration, where the intent is to cause wide-scale public health harm.

Read the full FDA Press Release at:    http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm503586.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

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RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags represent the fastest growing food and beverage anti-counterfeit products at 20.4% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from 2015-2020, according to Allied Market Research (AMR), an Oregon, US based market Intelligence company. It predicts the anti-counterfeiting food packaging market is set to reach $62.5b globally by 2020, with holograms moving to the top spot in the authentication technology market.

Read the full article at:

http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Safety-Regulation/Top-10-anti-counterfeit-firms-for-the-F-B-industry

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