This thought-provoking research was presented by Kwesi Boateng, a Nottingham University student, at the “Making Pharmaceuticals” show last month in Coventry, UK. Contact details are on the poster. It is a reminder that not all insight into food fraud risks comes from the insular bubble of the food industry, regulators and academics.
One premise of the research is that B-2-B end customers who specify “sustainable” production of botanicals to fulfil their orders, when they have no detailed knowledge of the supply chain, are almost making fraud inevitable. At the bottom of the supply chain are small scale producers. Sustainable supplies of botanicals are extremely limited. If a small producer is given an order to fulfil, with no consultation and a quick delivery date, then there is a clear motive to make up any shortfall with “unsustainable” production, lying about the carbon accounting (or – even worst – bulk out the order with an adulterant).
The solution is for the end customer to understand, appreciate, and communicate with, their whole supply chain and not to introduce stresses by giving short notification orders that are difficult to fulfil.
