1 min
According to FAO, food fraud occurs when a food supplier or producer intentionally deceives its customer about the quality, quantity or contents of the foods they are purchasing in order to make more profit. While food fraud is often motivated by profit, some forms of food fraud could also pose a serious threat to the health of customers and consumers. This could involve deliberate adulteration, misbranding/mislabeling, or substitution of food products to make more profits.
The consequences of food fraud can range from consumer deception to serious health risks, and can have significant financial implications for both the food industry and governments. Therefore, food fraud should be treated as a criminal act and must be dealt with as one to avoid further losses of resources and lives.
In most cases, the rationale behind food fraud is for financial gain, with the aim of making more profits by minimizing costs, increasing sales, or manipulating market prices. However, there are other reasons (political or social factors such as terrorism, dominance, ideological beliefs, or activism) that can motivate food fraud. That's why it should be taken as a serious case to address it squarely.
Furthermore, it should be noted that food fraud can occur at any stage within the food supply chain and therefore, we need to address it at those stages, putting measures that are effective for the various stages. Some of the practical examples of food fraud are addition of dirts or stones to a bag of products to increase their weight, mislabelling of produce or products (especially as organic) to deceive customers, reducing the weight of produce (as against what is written on it), the sale of spoilt or low grade produce as premium grade amongst others.
There is a need to address the issue of food fraud in our food supply chain especially at the primary production level due to its importance and ripple effects it can cause to other stages. We need to develop a legal framework that addresses and monitors food fraud effectively. Also, key stakeholders need to sensitize more value chain actors of the impact of food fraud on our food system and the need to build more transparency into the food chain. This will not only impact trade but it will improve food safety and build more integrity into our food system. Therefore, food fraud should not have a place in our food system because it deprives us of shared prosperity and destroys our good will and thereby contributes to food insecurity. Let us join hands to fight against this practice as it threatens our goal towards zero hunger. Yes, it is possible to win when we stand together with one voice. Let our voice be the loudest today!
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
In most cases, the rationale behind food fraud is for financial gain, with the aim of making more profits by minimizing costs, increasing sales, or manipulating market prices. However, there are other reasons (political or social factors such as terrorism, dominance, ideological beliefs, or activism) that can motivate food fraud. That's why it should be taken as a serious case to address it squarely.
Furthermore, it should be noted that food fraud can occur at any stage within the food supply chain and therefore, we need to address it at those stages, putting measures that are effective for the various stages. Some of the practical examples of food fraud are addition of dirts or stones to a bag of products to increase their weight, mislabelling of produce or products (especially as organic) to deceive customers, reducing the weight of produce (as against what is written on it), the sale of spoilt or low grade produce as premium grade amongst others.
There is a need to address the issue of food fraud in our food supply chain especially at the primary production level due to its importance and ripple effects it can cause to other stages. We need to develop a legal framework that addresses and monitors food fraud effectively. Also, key stakeholders need to sensitize more value chain actors of the impact of food fraud on our food system and the need to build more transparency into the food chain. This will not only impact trade but it will improve food safety and build more integrity into our food system. Therefore, food fraud should not have a place in our food system because it deprives us of shared prosperity and destroys our good will and thereby contributes to food insecurity. Let us join hands to fight against this practice as it threatens our goal towards zero hunger. Yes, it is possible to win when we stand together with one voice. Let our voice be the loudest today!
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
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