Food authentication and traceability in high-risk products: analytical approaches for regulatory control
Guest editors:
Marta Ferreiro González - University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain
Widiastuti Setyaningsih - Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Marco Ciulu - University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Special issue information:
Food fraud and adulteration continue to pose significant challenges to consumer protection, fair trade, and official control systems worldwide, including in the European Union. Foods such as honey, fruit juices, jams, powdered milk, and similar products (many of which are regulated by EU Breakfast Directives), as well as other globally relevant foods (olive oil, coffee, tea, wine, spices, among others), are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent practices such as misleading labelling, dilution, substitution, and false claims regarding the origin of the raw materials or their geographical provenance. Recent regulatory developments in the EU and globally have emphasized the need for robust, harmonized, and enforceable analytical strategies capable of supporting both official control and regulatory decision-making.
This Special Issue invites contributions that showcase cutting-edge analytical and data-driven approaches for food authentication and fraud detection, emphasizing rapid, sustainable, and practical methods relevant to both research and official control laboratories. We particularly encourage submissions on non-targeted analytical approaches, spectroscopic techniques, chemometrics, machine learning, and traceability frameworks. Topics covering method validation, harmonization, traceability, and origin verification are highly welcomed, providing a platform to discuss current challenges, scientific gaps, and future needs in regulatory contexts.
By combining innovative analytical methodologies with advanced computational and data analysis tools, this Special Issue seeks to bridge the gap between scientific research and practical regulatory applications. We aim to highlight emerging challenges, methodological gaps, and opportunities for enhancing food fraud detection and prevention, ultimately guiding both the scientific community and regulatory authorities toward more reliable, harmonized, and effective strategies. This Special Issue serves as a critical forum for advancing enforceable analytical solutions that ensure global food integrity and consumer trust.
Manuscript submission information:
Interested authors can submit their papers at https://www.editorialmanager.com/foodcont/default.aspx? before March 20th, 2027.
Please make sure to select the appropriate article type "VSI: Food authentication and traceability" while submitting.
In case of any questions please contact the above Guest Editors directly.
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