News

In this recorded conversation (open access), Karen Constable (Director, Authentic Food) and John Points (Technical Director, FAN) discuss the role of analysis in a modern fraud prevention strategy. 

Our conversation ranges across topics integral to FAN including:

• tools in the toolkit of food fraud prevention and mitigation best practice
• when and where to use testing within that toolkit,
• how to select a test that is fit for purpose,
• how to find a laboratory that can meet your needs,
• how to interpret the significance of results
• what action to take on "suspicious" results. 

The discussion is particularly focussed on free or low-cost resources that are of practical use to Small and Medium Enterprises in the food sector, and practical steps that SMEs can take to reduce the chance of falling victim to fraud.  We signpost lots of resources that are freely available, including the new Food Industry Intelligence Network's SME Hub.

The Food Industry Intelligence Network (fiin) was established in 2015 by industry technical leaders, in response to the recommendation of the ‘Elliott Review’ for the industry to create a ‘safe haven’ to collect, collate, analyse and disseminate information and intelligence relating to fraud risks. Fiin now has over 70 industry members, UK-based national and multinational food companies, who contribute their own testing data and insight which can then be anonymised, aggregated, and shared amongst the group.

Fiin has now launched a service to make some of this insight freely available to the wider food industry community, particularly to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which may have limited in-house technical expertise to mitigate food fraud risks.  The new SME hub requires users to register their details but there are no subsequent fees or restrictions.  Information and resources are listed in a clear and easy-to-navigate manner.

The hub offers

• Fiin's quarterly commodity watch-list - this is based on over 50,000 authenticity tests conducted by fiin's industry members, and so gives a different angle than data in the public domain (such as FAN's "most adulterated foods" collation) which are typically constructed from Official Reports.
•  Food fraud definitions and examples -  clear explanations and real-world illustrations
•  Food fraud prevention guides and training materials -  practical, SME-friendly tools
•  News & events -  updates and events relevant to food fraud
•  Food fraud reporting channels - know where and how to report concerns

All resources are free and tailored specifically to meet the needs of SMEs across the food sector.

We are proud, within FAN, that fiin has been a longstanding and supportive Partner.

safefood's role is to promote awareness and knowledge of food safety and nutrition on the island of Ireland. To do this safefood:

• Provide healthy eating and food safety advice to the public
• Carry out research into food safety
• Promote scientific co-operation and links between laboratories
• Provide independent assessment of the food supply
• Carry out surveillance of diet-related disease.

safefood has produced a guide for food manufacturing businesses to help protect their businesses from food fraud.

The guide is open access and is available at Protect your business from food fraud | safefood

The Food Authenticity Network Team is delighted to note that the Food Authenticity Network is cited as one of the resources!

The safefood guide has also been placed in the 'Guidance tab' of the 'Tools and Guides section' of the Food Fraud Prevention part of this website.