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Paper-based analytical devices (PADs) have the potential for low-cost, rapid point-of-use testing with easier and cheaper fabrication than (for example) 3D laser-printed microfluidics.

This review states that it covers cutting edge applications for food authenticity analysis and includes a section on how close some of the applications are to commercialisation.  There is no detail in the publicly-available abstract as to what topics or applications the review covers.  Purchase of the article would be needed to ascertain its use or relevancy.  It is published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal.

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13104962657?profile=RESIZE_400xDNA analysis will not help if a processed meat product has been adulterated with offal from the same species.  The traditional test approach is microscopy but this is challenging for highly processed products and requires expert interpretation.  Analysis of protein profiles can also be used, but proteins may not be stable to food processing.

In this study (purchase required) the authors propose using a molecular diagnostics method, testing for the messenger RNA (mRNA) that drives the protein production, rather than for the proteins themselves.  They scanned through a bovine gene expression database for mRNAs expressed at elevated levels in 10 unwanted offal tissues but not in muscle or adipose tissue. Out of 27,095 candidate transcripts, 3 were eventually selected as markers. Primers and probe sets for RT-PCR analysis of each transcript were designed. Two of the transcripts were shown to be detected by the developed RT-PCR method. The method was validated by specificity, sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility parameters

Photo by Laura Ohlman on Unsplash

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Spink's Food (Fraud) for Thought - Part VII

Food Fraud Prevention - ISO 31000 and Likelihood

Welcome! In support of the Food Authenticity Network (FAN), this blog series reviews key topics related to food fraud prevention. Watch here for updates that explore the definitions of food fraud terms and concepts.12369234700?profile=RESIZE_180x180

This blog post builds on our previous review of the ISO 31000 Risk Management to dive into the risk assessment concept of “likelihood.” The next blog post will review the second half of a risk assessment, which is “consequence.” Likelihood alone is only half of the risk assessment.

For example, the concern about an event with a 5 percent chance of occurring is based on the consequence. A 5-percent chance of stubbing your toe at night may not require you to take any precautions, even as simple as turning on the light (“risk acceptance”). A 5-percent chance of drowning while swimming would lead you to at least wear a life jacket (“risk treatment”) or find another way to cross a river (“risk avoidance”).

 To recap, a vulnerability is a type of risk. A risk is determined by the combination of “likelihood” and “consequence.” Remember:

  • Risk (ISO 31000): “effect of uncertainty on objectives;
    • NOTE 1: An effect is a deviation from the expected — positive and/or negative.
    • NOTE 4: Risk is often expressed in terms of a combination of the consequences of an event (including changes in circumstances) and the associated likelihood (2.19) of occurrence.
    • NOTE 3: Risk is often characterized by reference to potential events (2.17) and consequences (2.18), or a combination of these.

Then, a type of risk is a vulnerability.

  • Vulnerability (ISO 31000 citing Guide 73): “intrinsic properties of something resulting in susceptibility to a risk source (3.3.10) that can lead to an event (3.3.11) with a consequence (3.3.18)."

The likelihood is covered in this blog post, and a future blog post will cover the consequences in detail. It is interesting to examine the level of detail and insight that went into the ISO definitions. The use of “likelihood” even considers the information interpretation of the terms. Specifically, the term “probability” often insinuates a statistical or mathematical determination.

  • Likelihood (ISO 31000): “chance of something happening” (Note: yes, that is the exact text) [Reference 1]
    • NOTE 1: In risk management terminology, the word “likelihood” is used to refer to the chance of something happening, whether defined, measured, or determined objectively or subjectively, qualitatively or quantitatively and described using general terms or mathematically (such as a probability or a frequency over a given time period).
    • NOTE 2: The English term “likelihood” does not have a direct equivalent in some languages; instead, the equivalent of the term “probability” is often used. However, in English, “probability” is often narrowly interpreted as a mathematical term. Therefore, in risk management terminology, “likelihood” is used with the intent that it should have the same broad interpretation as the term “probability” has in many languages other than English.”

 

Why the Likelihood concept was preferred to Probability

When food fraud prevention was first being considered as a specific concept, some experts estimated it would take five years to complete a formal assessment. This was unacceptable, especially since the GFSI requirements were due in 12 months. It was efficient and supported by ISO 31000 concepts to focus on a “vulnerability assessment” rather than a “probabilistic risk assessment.” A key fundamental concept was to start by focusing on the more informal and qualitative “likelihood” than “probability.”

“ISO 31000 includes a consideration for the preliminary or general assessments that may not require data that is very detailed, accurate, precise, certain, or robust decisions. What is often important is that “a” risk assessment is conducted as long as the specification of the low certainty and low robustness is clearly defined. For food fraud prevention decisions, there may not be a lot of detail needed for a decision, or there may not be details provided (at least not yet).” (Reference 2)

It is very important and of great value that ISO 31000 Risk Management provides a common set of terms that have been created through an international and government-endorsed consensus-based process.

Watch out for the next blog, which will review the application of ISO 31000 Risk Management based on the term “consequence” and the basis for not using “severity.”

If you have any questions on this blog, we’d love to hear from you in the comments box below.

 

References:

1  ISO 31000 – Vocabulary, definition of ‘Likelihood, URL: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:31000:ed-1:v1:en

2  Spink, John W (2019). Food Fraud Prevention – Introduction, Implementation, and Management, Food Microbiology and Food Safety series, Springer Publishing, New York, URL: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781493996193

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Canada operates a statutory list of permitted supplemental ingredients (e.g. vitamins, minerals, amino acids) in food.  In addition, there is a temporary marketing approval (TMA) framework by exception, to use a specific supplement in a specific food.  The ongoing approval status of some of these TMA substances had been unclear.

This has now been clarified by a Health Canada notice.  It addresses this gap by issuing a table which provides information relevant to the use of these ingredients as conventional food ingredients and in supplemented foods, along with any data gaps that must be filled to establish safety as proposed supplemental ingredients.

In some cases, an ingredient has a history of safe use in food and is permitted as an ingredient (including in supplemented foods) on that basis. These ingredients may be used in all foods, including supplemented foods, according to the relevant provisions of the Food and Drug Regulations. Examples include certain food additives and flavourings. If use is proposed at levels higher than those with a history of safe use or if an ingredient has no such history, the ingredient would be considered a supplemental ingredient and require a pre-market assessment by Health Canada.

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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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Survey Results – UK FSA Retail Food 2023 Q2

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) have published a survey of 1025 samples purchased at retail in the 2nd half of 2023.  Samples were targeted on a risk-basis, and the survey included authenticity testing of some samples.

The survey found:  

  • There was a considerable increase in compliance for olive oil year on year 75% in 2022/23 to 87% (26 out of 30) 2023/24
  • Food authenticity rates for samples tested were 97% compliant for the areas of authenticity tested
  • There are no overall geographical hotspots for non-compliance 

From the small number of samples tested, two potentially widespread authenticity issues were flagged which will be used to inform future enforcement priorities.

  • 40% (16 out of 40) of frozen raw chicken was non-compliant due to undeclared, or excess, added water and labelling issues
  • 42% (10 out of 24) of frozen beef burgers were non-compliant, with eight samples having less meat content than declared, and 4 samples containing higher fat levels than stated.
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DNA analysis is rarely used for the verification of edible oil species, because of the low amount of intact DNA in the refined oil and the genetic similarities between different oil varieties.  In this study (open access pre-print, not yet peer-reviewed) the authors compared different DNA extraction kits and PCR protocols and new genetic markers to try and resolve the issue.  They reported that DNA extraction kits such as NucleoSpin Food, DNeasy mericon Food, and Olive Oil DNA Isolation as well as modified CTAB method were found to be able to isolate amplifiable genomic DNA from highly processed oils. Novel uniplex, double, and nested PCR systems targeting the sunflower-specific helianthinin gene were developed for efficient identification of sunflower. New sunflower DNA markers were revealed by uniplex PCRs.

They concluded that a combination of modified CTAB and nested PCR gave the best performance, and was demonstrated as a reliable, rapid, and cost-effective technology for detecting traces of sunflower in highly processed oil, including refined and used cooking oil.

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The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have been awarded a £1.6M grant as part of round one of the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund, which aims to test innovative regulatory approaches for products like cultivated meat. Cell-cultivated products are foods created through the isolation of cells from meat, seafood, fat, offal or eggs which are grown in a controlled environment. It could result in food production which is more environmentally friendly and sustainable, using just 1% of the land used for animal equivalents, while increasing food security. Programmes like this will help bring innovative food products to shop shelves safely but without unnecessary delay and at lower costs, giving consumers more choice.  There are a number of challenges to address in the regulatory approval, and subsequent enforcement, of cell cultivated products, not least of which is authenticity verification (how to ensure that the product on sale has been produced only using the regulatory-approved process, scaffolds and starting materials)

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Synthetic technologies allow companies to ‘print’ DNA and RNA.  Applications are cross-sector, and include nucleic acids that are used as the basis of selective analytical test methods.  This voluntary best-practice guidance emphasises the UK government’s intent for a pro-innovation culture in the engineering biology ecosystem through providing well-defined guardrails for customers and producers of synthetic nucleic acid.

This link has been added to FAN’s Quality page, which contains links to a range of other best-practice guidance for both laboratories and for customers looking to choose a laboratory

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13031080492?profile=RESIZE_400xThe UK National Food Crime Unit's self-assessment questionaire has recently been revised.  This 20-minute prompt to check for best practice in fraud resilience is particularly aimed at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

A curated link to the NFCU self-assessment is within the "Tools" list on the "Food Fraud Prevention" FAN pages.  It is always worth a quick check for other tools on the list which might be a good fit for your own organisation.

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White Paper – Fraudulent Honey in the EU

This white paper is from the Institute of International and European Affairs, a non-profit charity that is Ireland’s leading international affairs think tank.

The paper tracks the suspicions of honey fraud and subsequent investigations and surveillance monitoring plans over the past decade, leading up to the EU legislation changes in the Breakfast Directive.  The paper makes the case that without this large-scale co-ordinated action and evidence-gathering, the possibility of wide scale fraud might never have been taken sufficiently seriously. It reviews the effectiveness of the current EU regulations and international cooperation efforts that are designed to detect and prevent honey adulteration and asks what technological and legislative improvements can be deployed to protect consumers and support EU honey producers.  It concludes by looking to the future and how honey fraud might be tackled on a local, national, and international level

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13029567681?profile=RESIZE_400xThe Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission have published a report that includes an overview of food fraud information sharing networks and incident data held around the world.  (including both the Food Industry Intelligence Network, Fiin, and the 2022 Defra report FA0175 into food fraud drivers and mitigation tools).

The report recommends the funding of a new predictive analytics model to try and prioritise future fraud risks based on historic patterns of reported incidents.  This would be predicated on improved data sharing between different countries and between industry and governments.  The report recommends a public-private partnership model to develop the concept.

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12397736262?profile=RESIZE_400xThe authors of this paper (open access) used Fourier-Transform Ion-Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR) to accurately profile and classify thousands of chemical components within different types of coffee.  They are making their list of components publicly available alongside the paper.

Their reference set of 130 coffees were purchased at market, rather than being of traceable origin, but were verified by documentation from the manufacturers along with morphological examination and classification using the German standard NMR method.

From this list of markers, the authors investigated those with the potential to discriminate based on the complex Maillard reactions of roasting processes and those that could discriminate coffee varieties.  They propose a group of 25 tryptophan conjugates of hydroxycinnamic acids that could be measured by conventional high-resolution LC-MS and used as specific markers for rustica coffee vs arabica.

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13003660301?profile=RESIZE_584xThe latest edition of the Foods Standards Agency's National Food Crime industry newsletter has been published.

This edition covers:

  • 2024 FSA and FSS Food Crime Strategic Assessment.
  • Counterfeit Vodka.
  • Sustainability Claims. 
  • Good practice for ‘goods in’ stock. 
  • Meat composition and labelling. 
  • Horizon scanning. 

Read the bulletin.

You can contact the NFCU Prevention team to feedback, raise a concern or possibly contribute to a future update.

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Measuring the profile of trace metals in food is one approach to discriminating its geographic origin.  Analytical tools for trace-metal measurement tend to be laboratory-based with expensive capital equipment.

There has been recent research to develop point-of-use sensors for metal ions using specific chemical binders (often based on the chemistry of human olefaction) with fluorescent markers.  This paper (purchase requires) takes the work a significant step forward.  Their sensor is based upon the principle that different metal ions induce different degrees of aggregation in perylene diimide derivative based supramolecular nanoaggregates.  This enabled the construction of a multi-analyte sensor which they report as having ease of preparation, rapid response, and high sensitivity originating from large specific surface areas.  The authors report that they used the sensor to build a successful classification model of geographic origin for both drinking water and apples.

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12998897290?profile=RESIZE_400xThe AIJN (European Fruit Juice Association) Codes of Practice are analytical identity standards for fruit juices which are internationally agreed and also cross-refererred within some legislation.  They are available here behind a subscription paywall.

The Codes of Practice have just been updated with new identity standards for blueberry and bilberry juices.  Thanks to Mikko Hofsommer of GfL, one of FAN’s Centre of Expertise Laboratories, for flagging this.

Photo by Jeremy Ricketts on Unsplash

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12998681485?profile=RESIZE_710x'Our Food 2023: An annual review of food standards across the UK.' has been published today by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

This is the third in a series of annual reports since the UK left the EU. Our Food 2023 is an evidence-based assessment of food standards across all four nations of the UK.

The analysis conducted suggests that food standards in the UK remained stable during 2023. Yet there are questions about the resilience of our food system for the future. So, FSA and FSS are highlighting three areas that government, businesses and regulators need to work together to address.

1️⃣ More needs to be done to ensure that consumers can access safe, nutritious food against a backdrop of rising prices.

2️⃣ After a long-term decline in numbers, pressure on the local authority workforce continues, with a significant backlog in the number of food businesses awaiting inspection.

3️⃣ Without a reliable and secure resourcing model for Official Veterinarians, there is increased risk of disruption to the UK meat chain in the years ahead due to staff shortages, as well as increasing costs that will be passed on to businesses and consumers.

FSA and FSS are asking government, industry and regulators to work together on these and the other challenges highlighted in this report. The cooperation of everyone in the food system, from government departments and food businesses, to our colleagues in local authorities, remains essential for ensuring people have access to safe, healthy and sustainable food.

Read the full report.

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12998380873?profile=RESIZE_400xThis guide is being developed by the Codex Alimentatius Committee on Food Import Inspection and Food Export Certification Systems (CCFICS).  The draft is in 8 sections: (Preamble; Scope/Purpose; Definitions; Types of food fraud; Principles; Roles and Responsibilities of Competent Authorities and Food Business Operators; Relevant Activities for Competent Authorities; and Cooperation, Collaboration, and exchange of Information Between Competent Authorities). It includes working definitions of food fraud, food integrity and food authenticity, noting that they are not yet approved. 

The document has been drafted by an Electronic Working Group (EWG), led by the US, with China, EU, Iran, Panama, and the UK.  Selvarani Elahi, FAN's Executive Director, was UK co-chair for the ealier drafts and FAN have also fed into Codex discussions on fraud definitions.  The draft was brought back to the 27th meeting of CCFICS, held in Cairns, Australia, in September.  It is now ready to go to the next Codex plenary meeting on 25th November, before returning to another EWG for resulting edits then back to the 28th meeting of CCFICS next year.

The 27th CCFICS also discussed other standards and guidelines relevant to food fraud prevention, including modernising the Codex principles on traceability and product tracing (CXG60), digitisation of national food control systems, and new work on principles and guidelines to harmonize the use, development and implementation of (food-producing) establishment listing

A full report of the meeting can be found here, including contact details for each country’s representative on the committee.  The draft Food Fraud Prevention guide is included as Appendix II.

Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash

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12992511667?profile=RESIZE_584xThe UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is running a campaign to recruit three new members to the Food Authenticity Methodology Working Group (AMWG). 

Applications are welcomed from any candidate who has the knowledge, skills and experience required for the role and who meets the essential criteria. More information about the role can be found in the Candidate Pack. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 15th November 2024.

Information about the vacancies is given below: 

 The AMWG is a non-statutory expert committee of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The Committee provides expert advice on research carried out under Defra’s Food Authenticity Programme and is accountable to the Agri-Food Science Team within Defra’s Agri-Food Chain Directorate.  

The Chairs of expert committees meet annually with Defra’s Chief Scientific Advisor; and provide an annual summary of the work of the Committee to the Science Advisory Council (SAC) for Defra's Annual Report.     

Defra wants to attract high-calibre and forward-thinking applicants from diverse backgrounds to its expert committees. Applicants will need to demonstrate they are able to carry out a full range of non-executive responsibilities and have relevant skills, knowledge and expertise. Defra is seeking to appoint up to three new members to AMWG to cover the broad range of expertise required.  

Applications will be assessed against the following general essential criteria: 

  • Experience in dealing with complex technical authenticity challenges, recognised expertise in food analysis and an understanding of fitness for purpose requirements and validation concepts for authenticity methods. 
  • Demonstrable collaborative working and a willingness to enhance the UKs standing in the field of authenticity testing as well as the ability to understand and value different perspectives and to build productive relationships both within and outside the Committee.  
  • Ability to think analytically and creatively and to contribute effectively to the formulation of sound scientific-based advice and decisions.   
  • Ability to express views cogently and clearly, to represent views to the Committee and the Committee’s views to Government and other stakeholders.  

In addition to the above general food authenticity expertise and skills, we are seeking new members who have a good understanding or experience of at least one of the following:  

  • Physical and chemical methods in particular spectroscopic and screening methods   
  • Food Industry experience, supply chain assurance and traceability  
  • AI/digital technology  
  • Molecular Biology and Genetic technologies   
  • A qualified Public Analyst with experience of Food analysis in a legal setting.    

 If you have any queries by email AMWGSecretariat@defra.gov.uk.  

 

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