This study (open access) investigated the impact of aging on the isotopic ratios in Italian balsamic vinegar, focusing on δ18O of water and δ13C of glucose, fructose, and acetic acid. Bulk variables such as water content, density, total acidity, refractive index, and glucose and fructose concentration were also evaluated. The findings revealed that δ18O values of water progressively increased with aging inside the casks’ series for Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, allowing a clear differentiation between traditional and non-traditional balsamic vinegars. In contrast, the δ13C values of glucose, fructose, and acetic acid were also influenced by the conditions of production and origins of the starting raw materials. Further research is needed to better understand the effects of the individual factors that influence the δ13C values for enhancing the ability to authenticate and differentiate balsamic vinegar products.
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This thesis (open access) set out to prove the concept that multi-spectral imaging (MSI) could be used to build a classification model to differentiate chicken breast with undeclared added water from that with no, or legally-permitted low, added water content.
The researcher built a model based upon an in-house reference set of chicken breast samples; 12 with no added water, 12 with water added at a level that need not be legally declared (3 – 5%) and 12 with water added at a level that should be legally declared on-pack (9-11%). The protein/water content of the samples was then calculated using classical analysis, in order to label the MSI scans. MSI used two cameras , FX10 and FX17. After annotation, the samples were saved and analysed in MATLAB for model development
The researcher concluded that the method holds promise but would need a much more robust database. With this limited database, the model could distinguish added-water from non-added-water samples but could not robustly distinguish between amounts of added water which would be legal if undeclared and those which would not be legal.
Photo by Philippe Zuber on Unsplash
Water-injected meat leads to microbial growth risk, as well as being economic fraud.
In this study (purchase required) the authors designed and tested a colorimetric porous polymer microneedle patch to detect added water. Microneedle patches consist of hundreds to thousands of tiny needles, usually only tens to hundreds of microns long, which can extract tissue fluids and transport the extracted molecules to the backing layer for colour displaying. There is no need for sample preparation and often no need to open the packaging.
In this case, detection was designed and prepared using photopolymerization of an acrylate monomer with a porogen substrate and cobalt (II) chloride as colour change indicator and tartrazine as the reference. The colour of the microneedle patch changed from green to yellow with increased moisture concentration.
The authors reported that this discoloration trend of the microneedle patch during the moisture measurement of meat was very regular. The moisture measurement of meat in range of 66.9 %–75.7 % exhibited a good linear dependence on RGB values. The results indicated that the microneedle patch can visually determine the moisture content of meat in 3 minutes. It can be combined with a smartphone as a quantitative reader.
Photo by Philippe Zuber on Unsplash
A recent report (open access) by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) concluded that it is beneficial to financially reward whistleblowers, and recommends a UK consultation to bring in the necessary legislation. The conclusions were strongly supported by Nick Ephgrave, Director of the Serious Fraud Office, at the report’s launch event on 10 December.
Many jurisdictions already have such schemes. For example, in the US, the Department of Justice is running a 3 year pilot to reward whistleblowers with a percentage of forfeited proceeds. The scheme is targeted at, but not exclusive to, frauds involving bribery and currency offences. It is only triggered if the whistleblower’s information leads to a forfeiture above $1 million USD.
The legal and corporate cultural landscape is very different in the UK compared to the US, and the RUSI report makes the point that any national whistleblower reward scheme needs to be tailored rather than a “cut-and-paste” from another jurisdiction. Rewards are just one facet of a successful whistleblower scheme and the report makes many more detailed recommendations.
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published the UK Food Security Report 2024. This report sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security. This report examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security, to present the best available understanding of food security at the time of publication; the headlines under the following 5 themes are:
Theme 1: Global Food Availability
- Continued stable growth in the production of food, despite geopolitical
and climate shocks. - The global trading system in food has also been stable.
- The number of undernourished people around the world is increasing.
- Climate change, nature loss and water insecurity pose significant
risks to the ability of global food production to meet demand over the
longer term. - There is weak productivity growth globally which makes this more
challenging.
Theme 2: UK Food Supply Sources
- The UK’s overall balance of trade and production is broadly stable.
- Extreme weather events continue to have a significant effect on domestic production.
- The UK continues to be highly dependent on imports to meet consumer demand for fruit, vegetables and seafood.
- Long term decline in the UK’s natural capital is a pressing risk to UK food production.
Theme 3: Food Supply Chain Resilience
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in input costs such as energy and fertiliser.
- Agri-food sector labour shortages continue.
- While there was a sharp fall in volume of imports of Feed, Food and Drink to the UK in 2021, imports have increased slightly since then and the EU remains the UK’s largest external supplier.
- Single points of failure in food supply chains pose resilience risks.
- Many food businesses have shown resilience and recovery in response to shocks, but investment levels are not back to levels before the price shock in 2022.
Theme 4: Household Food Security
- While a large majority of households in the UK continue to be food secure, there has been a notable decrease in food secure households.
- There has been a notable rise in inflation both overall and for the category of food and non-alcoholic beverages since the beginning of 2021.
- Most people do not meet government dietary recommendations, with those from lower-income groups less likely to meet recommendations than those from the highest-income groups.
- Rates of food insecurity vary greatly by demographics, with a notable difference in levels and experiences between income groups.
Theme 5: Consumer Confidence and Food Safety.
- The results of UK consumer surveys indicate that the levels of trust in Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have remained relatively high.
- There has been an increase in consumers reporting concerns (prompted) about food prices since 2021.
- Laboratory confirmed reports of pathogens that can cause foodborne gastrointestinal disease and the proportional trends in foodborne disease outbreak surveillance data generally remained relatively stable over the period 2019 to 2023, with the exception of the COVID19 pandemic years.
- Of the businesses inspected, analysis indicates an upward trend in food business hygiene compliance. However, there is still a backlog in the number of businesses awaiting inspection.
I was proud to serve on the Expert Elicitation Group for Theme 5 and we are delighted to see that the Food Authenticity Network is featured as Case Study 1 under 'Sub-theme 2: Food Safety and Authenticity'.
Also under this sub-theme, section 5.2.5 Food Crime describes the work of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) and Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit (SFCIU), and also includes 'Case Study 4: Strengthening the lines of defence against food crime'.
Read the full report at: UK Food Security Report 2024
This review (purchase required) covers vanillin quality control approaches including conventional, hyphenated, and sensory analyses. Markers to differentiate between authentic, synthetic, and adulterated vanilla are highlighted using hyphenated techniques. It includes discussion of carbon isotope ratio range to identify vanillin originating from biosynthetic (C3 plant), synthetic (petroleum) sources, or vanilla pods. Novel extraction methods typically provide greater selectivity, higher purity, shorter extraction times, and ecofriendly attributes compared to conventional methods. The authors report that the best methods include supercritical fluids (SCF) or natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) that promoted higher yield of vanillin.
The review also highlights the promising avenue of biotransformation, the safest technique for the production of vanilla flavour components, tackling current challenges and emphasizing its potential to meet the market needs for authenticated and high-quality yields of vanillin.
Photo by Dana DeVolk on Unsplash
This study (purchase required) reports a flow injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprinting approach, measuring a pattern of triglycerides and fatty acids, to discriminate olive oil adulterated with cheaper vegetable oils. The authors proposed SVM and PLS classification and regression models for the identification and quantitative analysis of olive oil adulteration. They reported that SVM outperformed PLS-DA, achieving higher values for accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, as well as positive predictive and negative predictive values in identifying adulterated olive oil samples. Compared with a PLSR model, the SVR model demonstrated superior performance in determining the content of adulterated olive oil, with a higher coefficient of determination and lower Root Mean Square Error. They conclude that FIMS fingerprinting technology in combination with SVM can be effectively implemented for rapid, reliable, and accurate identification and quantification of olive oil adulteration.
The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission have published their October 2024 collation of food fraud reports here.. Thanks to FAN member Bruno Sechet who has again collated these as an infographic. The original infographic, along with his commentary, is on Bruno's LinkedIn feed.
The JRC collation uses global media reports, and this always gives a slightly different picture than collating official reports. Both sources continue to highlight that fraud is global, and that the same “usual suspect” commodities are routinely targeted by fraudsters. FAN's recent report gives a high-level annual overview for 2023 from official reports.
The ISO 3632 UV–visible spectrophotometric method (using an aqueous extract) is the reference method for grading saffron. It has been previously reported that this method is only able to detect adulteration (safflower, turmeric or calendula) when the adulterant is greater than 50 % w/w.
In this study (purchase required) the authors reported that using acetonitrile, rather than water, as an extraction solvent gave far better discrimination. They analyzed 40 genuine and 123 adulterated saffron samples, each containing 5–10 % w/w contamination (41 samples for each type of adulterant). The resulting UV–visible spectra were processed using unsupervised multivariate statistical methods to distinguish between authentic and adulterated saffron. The Sequential Pre-processing through Orthogonalization (SPORT) algorithm, based on sequential and orthogonalized partial least squares (SO-PLS), was first applied to differentiate the two groups. Using a calibration set of 122 samples, the SPORT model correctly classified 37 of 38 external test samples, regardless of the type or level of contamination. Additionally, a class model for genuine saffron was developed using SIMCA (Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogies), under the same calibration and validation conditions as the SPORT model. SIMCA accurately identified all test samples, with the exception of one pure saffron and one adulterated sample.
In this study (open access), researchers set out to discriminate Royal Gala and Golden Delicious apples as being either Czech or Polish origin. They built a reference database of 64 samples were collected in the years 2020–2022 from Central Bohemia Eastern Bohemia, South Moravia, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Łódź Voivodeship, and Masovian Voivodeship. They measured phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), boron (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe) as well as isotope ratios 10B/11B and 87Sr/86Sr.
They concluded that, with this data set, it was not possible to robustly differentiate Czech vs Polish origin. The variation within individual regions, and the variation due to different agricultural inputs, was too significant compared to the variation between countries. They concluded that differentiation would be possible in principle but a much more granular reference database would be needed. Their findings contradicted previous published work that phosphorus was a suitable marker to differentiate Czech from Polish apples.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Meat species identification has always been a challenge in highly processed foods, such as gelatines and stocks.
One approach is to measure proteins and protein patterns using mass spectrometry (MS). A previous research project, under the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Food Authenticity Programme, developed and in-house validated a method using proteomics.
That work has now been built upon by another 3 Defra projects to streamline the method to look for specific markers, in a format that can be used routinely by testing laboratories, and to fully validate the routine method including by interlaboratory trial.
All four research reports are now signposted on FAN’s Research pages. Scroll through the table to find the appropriate report reference number:
- FA0166 – the original 2019 project – “Development, optimisation and validation of a non-targeted proteomics method for meat species identification”
- FA0165 – “Liquid chromatography targeted mass spectrometry method to determine the animal origin of gelatine - transfer to a high throughput, low cost platform with single lab evaluation”
- FA0177 – “Gelatine species determination, completion of method validation and determination of a quantitative method”
- FA0187 – “Interlaboratory trial of a mass spectrometry method for meat species determination”
Our December 2024 Newsletter is now available to download here. In this issue:
- New resources – Authenticity test method explainers
- Updated resources – Laboratories with authentic food reference databases
- Updated resources – Honey reference sampling protocol
- Project launch – European Food Fraud Community of Practice
- Guest Article – Food fraud prevention US perspective
- Guest Article – Botanical adulterants prevention programme
- Centre of Expertise case study – Sugar detection in fruit juice
Plus we welcome Campden BRI and Natural Trace as FAN Partners, welcome five UK Public Analyst laboratories as new Centres of Expertise, and announce dates for our Analysis 4 Authenticity Conference 2025.
There is no single definitive test for dilution of honey with foreign sugar syrups. An untargeted test, often used to contribute to an analytical weight of evidence, is proton NMR followed by chemometric pattern recognition based on variations in the sugars profile. One disadvantage of this technique is a lack of sensitivity.
LCMS is a more sensitive technique and could – in principle – be used in a similar untargeted manner to drive pattern recognition statistics based on the sugar profiles of a database of reference honeys. The limiting factor has been the computing power that would be needed to “re-set” the database each time a new chromatographic peak is measured or data from different chromatographic systems are combined. (this is why untargeted LCMS is often used in authenticity testing as a 1-off development tool to identify marker compounds, which are then used as the basis for a more routine targeted test, rather than being used as a routine untargeted test).
In this paper (open access), the authors resolved the computing power limitation by using their Bucketing of Untargeted LC-MS Spectra (BOULS) data processing approach which they have previously published. They demonstrated that untargeted LCMS testing (combining data from different systems, HILIC column with MS in both positive and negative ionisation mode) could discriminate a range of adulterated honeys (rice, beet and high-fructose corn syrups added at 5% to a reference set of 34 North German honeys) from their unadulterated counterparts.
As is the case with all untargeted analytical techniques, the key to using this method routinely would be building a robust reference database of verified authentic honeys that is fully representative of all types and origins on the market.
Photo by Roberta Sorge on Unsplash
Wines can be mimicked by the detailed addition of glycerol, sugars, colours, water and other additives. Sometimes this is carefully balanced so that the fraud is difficult to detect by analysis of one parameter alone.
In this paper (open access conference presentation from researchers in Crimea) the authors propose a specification for “authentic” wines based upon 11 analytical indicators.
This is based on in-house research where they prepared 3500 counterfeit wines adulterated in different ways, and studied the feedback effect of changing one analytical parameter upon another. All parameters were measured using established and published test methods that are considered accessible to industrial laboratories. They observed that every type of adulteration had an indirect effect on another analytical parameter, so if sufficient parameters were measured it was very difficult for fraudsters to mask their activity. Specification ranges were established by training sets prepared from their in-house adulterated and unadulterated wines.
Table reproduced from the publication, Creative Commons licence
A weight of evidence approach is typically employed for food authenticity investigations in situations where screening tests do not provide a definitive answer, or where there is no applicable legal limit for what is being evaluated. In these types of situations, gathering and assessing several different forms of evidence may aid in coming to a conclusion on the authenticity of a sample/product.
This e-seminar is based on a “Toolkit to Support Weight of Evidence Approaches for Food Authenticity Investigations,” that has been published by Defra, and provides guidance and best practice on how to approach a weight of evidence assessment, in order to verify the authenticity of food and drink samples where no single confirmatory test result is currently available. It has been designed to support anyone who is required to make an assessment on the authenticity of a food or drink sample based on a combination of information from several independent sources but may also be of interest to anyone in the food and drink industry who undertakes supply chain audits and due diligence checks as part of any authenticity investigation.
This e-seminar was produced by the Joint Knowledge Transfer Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis, which is co-funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology via the Government Chemist at LGC.
This eSeminar has been added to the eSeminar tab of the FAN Training section and can also be viewed here:
The FAN annual call for new Centres of Expertise (CoEs) was launched in the last FAN Newsletter; the applications received were reviewed by FAN and recommendations for acknowledgement discussed and agreed with the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency & Food Standards Scotland.
We are delighted to announce that the following five organisations have been acknowledged as Food Authenticity CoEs:
- Edinburgh Scientific Services
- Glasgow Scientific Services
- Hampshire Scientific Services
- Isle of Man Government Laboratory
- Tayside Scientific Services.
These organisations are all Public Analyst laboratories and have a wealth of experience in food authenticity analysis in the context of official controls. Two Public Analyst laboratories were already recognised as CoEs, and now all seven will be listed as food authenticity CoEs in a separate category called ‘Public Analysts’.
We are thrilled to announce that Campden BRI has become a FAN Partner!
With over 4,000 member companies in 90 countries, Campden BRI is the trusted, premier, independent technical partner of choice for the food and drink industry. Leveraging its 250-plus world-renowned technical experts, it helps to make food safer, tastier, healthier, affordable, sustainable, convenient, and innovative, underpinned by investment in meaningful research and science.
Campden BRI offers an extensive range of services including consultancy, analysis and testing, processing, contract research, manufacturing support and guidance, training, and regulatory and labelling advisory services. Members and clients benefit from industry-leading facilities for analysis, product and process development, and sensory and consumer studies. Campden BRI is ISO9001 certified and many of the analytical services are UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) ISO17025 accredited. (www.campdenbri.co.uk )
FAN already acknowledges Campden BRI as a Food Authenticity Centre of Expertise; with Campden BRI’s industry knowledge and expertise, this partnership enhances our ability to offer even more robust and industry relevant resources to support members to combat hashtag#foodfraud and ensure hashtag#supplychainintegrity, furthering our mission to protect consumers and legitimate businesses worldwide.
This partnership is a significant step towards a safer and more authentic global food supply!
We're delighted to offer 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗥𝗜 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝟱𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 (such Partners receive our quarterly global food fraud dashboard), for further information, please contact us at Secretary@foodauthenticity.global. Thank you.
The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) of the UK Food Standards Agency has issued an AMBER Food Crime Alert on the Risk of Distribution Fraud Thefts from Food Businesses.
There has been a recent increase in the reporting of distribution fraud being used as a method of stealing high value food products from UK based companies.
The method of theft will include impersonating an existing business and using falsified documentation such as email addresses, invoices or even fake websites.
WHY HAS THE NFCU ISSUED THIS ALERT?
This alert is based on recent reports of this methodology being used in high profile thefts of food. Because of this NFCU is sharing this information via industry groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to encourage vigilance to this potential risk, and that food businesses update any risk assessments and processes to increase their resilience to this form of fraud.
ACTION RECOMMENDED
- Ensure that this information is used to inform any vulnerability or fraud risk assessments with appropriate actions in place.
- Inform relevant colleagues with responsibility for sales and customer contracts to be aware of any unusual or suspicious activity such as changes to bank details from existing customers or new customers requesting extremely large orders of high value items.
- If unsure whether a purchase is legitimate, do not reply directly to contacts via email or messages. Instead use publicly listed information for the company that are attempting the purchase and contact them directly to validate the details you are being given.
CONTACT NFCU - If you become aware of information relevant to this Food Crime Alert, please share with us via:
WEBSITE – visit food.gov.uk and click 'Report' at the top of the page.
TELEPHONE –08000 28 11 80.
EMAIL – foodcrime@food.gov.uk.
Please quote the alert number A002 in correspondence. Our processes enable us to handle information discreetly.
Read full alert.
More than 22 tonnes of three artisan award-winning cheddars worth more than £300,000 stolen from London cheese specialist in October 2024
Fraudsters posing as legitimate wholesalers received the 950 clothbound cheeses from the company before it was realised they were a fake firm.
The London Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is investigating "the theft of a large quantity of cheese".
Why cheese theft is on the rise
Food-related crimes – which include smuggling, counterfeiting, and out-and-out theft – cost the global food industry between US $30 to 50 billion a year (£23-£38 billion), according to the World Trade Organisation. These range from hijackings of freight lorries delivering food to warehouses to the theft of 24 live lobsters from a storage pen in Scotland.
But a number of these food crimes have also targeted the cheese industry – and in particular luxury cheese.
In 2023, around £50,000 worth of cheese was stolen from a trailer in a service station near Worcester, UK. It’s happening elsewhere in Europe, too: in 2016, criminals made off with £80,000 of Parmigiano Reggiano from a warehouse in northern Italy. This particular type of parmesan, which requires at least a year to mature, is created by following a process that has been in place, with little modification, for almost 1,000 years. At the time of the heist, Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium told CBS news that about $7 million (£5.4m) worth of cheese had been stolen in a two-year period.
The problem is only set to rise across the industry as cheese becomes more valuable. The overall price of food and non-alcoholic drinks in the UK rose around 25% between January 2022 and January 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics. Cheese, meanwhile, saw a similar price hike in the space of a single year.
How organised crime infiltrated the food industry
“There is a long-established connection between food and organised crime,” says Andy Quinn of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), which was established in 2015 following the 2013 horse meat scandal. One example of this is the high proportion of illegal drugs smuggled through legal global food supply chains.
In September, dozens of kilograms of cocaine were found in banana deliveries to four stores of a French supermarket, with police unsure who the intended recipient was. For the drugs to reach the end of the food supply chain is highly unusual, but this method of transporting illegal items across borders in containers of food is common.
According to Quinn, once drug cartels and other criminal operators gain a foothold into how a food business operates, they spot other opportunities. “They will infiltrate a legitimate business, take control of its distribution networks and use it to move other illegal items, including stolen food.”
For criminal networks, food has other attractions. “They know crimes involving food result in less severe convictions than for importing drugs,” says Quinn, “but they can still make similar amounts of money.” Particularly if it’s a premium cheese.
The problem for the criminals is what to do with it. “There are few places to offload them,” says Jamie Montgomery, who runs the Somerset farm that was targeted in the 1998 heist. “Shifting that much artisan cheese is difficult.”
This is why people in the industry believe stolen cheese is often sent overseas to countries where there are thriving food black markets – and indeed cheese black markets.
Microchipped parmesan: Innovative security
Andy Quinn explains: “Food chains are truly global. The same goes for the movement of illegal food.”
Now, many in the industry are fighting back, however. Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium – the cheesemakers behind the world’s most stolen cheese – have said that the black market for that variety is “robust”. This is partly down to the fact that it is hugely valuable, generating global sales of almost £3bn a year – and so they have come up with a unique way of protecting it.
In 2022, the consortium began introducing tracking chips, no larger than a grain of rice, as part of the label embedded in the hard rind of the cheese. This helps to reduce thefts, but also means counterfeit Parmigiano Reggiano can be identified, as each tiny chip contains a unique digital ID that can authenticate the cheese.
Buyers can now scan each wheel to check its authenticity or find out if it was stolen. The consortium is yet to release any figures showing whether the technology is cutting down levels of fraud.
“Conflicts around the world, the cost-of-living crisis, even climate change, all increase the appeal for food fraud,” says the NFCU’s Andy Quinn. Until that changes, cheesemakers might need to tighten up their security – and think twice when an order seems too good to be true.
It is crucial to know who you're buying from and who you're selling to; the rise in cybercrime is making this more challenging but nothing replaces establishing good relationships with your stakeholders in trying to mitigate against food fraud as we found in Defra project: Review of Food Fraud drivers and Mitigation Tools.
Read full BBC article.
The Food Authenticity Network is delighted to be a Partner in a new initiative: The European Food fraud Community of Practice: From Outset to Operation(EFF-CoP).
With €2 million funding under Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Actions, the EFF-CoP is led by Professor Saskia van Ruth, Professor of Food Supply Chain Integrity at UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.
This new three-year project, starting in January 2025, will bring together a community of scientists, regulators, small- and large-sized businesses, laboratories and other stakeholders to create a research and innovation ecosystem to enhance food authenticity and traceability.
A page will be created on this website to link to the EFF-CoP website so that FAN members can keep abreast of progress.
In addition, you can become a member of the EFF-CoP community by emailing effcop@ucd.ie ✍️ and you can follow the EFF-CoP on LinkedIn.
