Why I am studying food fraud and mitigation?
Key concepts
In this course, the student will learn about:
• definition and prevalence of food fraud as well as the legislation context;
• consumer and industry perceptions of food fraud;
• factors contributing to the fraud vulnerability of companies and chains, including
criminological aspects;
• fraud vulnerability assessment strategies;
• soft and hard controls to reduce the vulnerability to fraud;
• basics of mass balance and practical examples;
• basics of analytical tests for fraud detection in and beyond the laboratory;
• food fraud mitigation in practice by guest speakers from industry, authorities, and retail.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:
• explain the theoretical concept of food fraud;
• describe relevant fraud indicators;
• describe fraud vulnerability assessment strategies and interpret fraud vulnerability
assessment results;
• select relevant control measures to reduce the vulnerability to fraud for various cases;
• describe various groups of analytical tests and their user groups;
• identify the pros and cons of soft and hard controls in various situations;
• understand the perspectives of various stakeholders.
What is food fraud?
A collective term encompassing the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or
misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, labelling, production information, or false
or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain that could impact consumer health’
*Global Food Safety Initiative
Day 2
Food fraud from a toxicological perspective
In some cases food fraud poses a health risk to the consumer
Ingredients can be toxic or cause allergic reactions.
1. Substitution (cheaper alternative)
e.g. aniline was added in rapeseed oil for industrial use.
TOCP (phosphate used in ginger jake). Potent neurotoxin causing axonopathy. The compound
damages the axon of neuron cells so they lose their contact at the end of the neuron and axon with
the following muscle. As a result you get problem transferring signals to muscles. Paralysis effect.
“The Jake Walk”. Happened again in morocco (1959).
,In 1998: India sunflower oil. Mexican Poppy. It has toxic alkaloids (you dont need to remember the
name of the toxic alkaloids). Inhibits effect in the sodium-potassium ATPase. Disease: epidemic
dropsy (edema). The legs get a watery appearance. In modern times still there is poisoning with
mexican poppy. It is known that even low levels of adulteration by argemone oil cause effects. The
seed is similar to mustard seed.
Sunflower oil from Ukraine containing mineral oils: MOSH and MOAH.
MO aromatic hydrocarbons.
Cheaper alternative: adulteration ground cumin with peanut protein, risk for people with peanut
allergy. Anaphylactic shock.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and fioxins: transformator oils mixed with feed for pigs and
chickens. Contamination mainly in eggs and chicken.
2. Mislabelling (switching ingredients)
-Star anise (2001)
Anisatin in Japanese Illicium religiosum not chinese star illicium verum anise. GABA antagonist.
They used japanese variety which has a phytotoxin. Related ingredients caused problems.
-Belgium (1990s)
Chinese herb based weight loss preparations: 70-100 patients.
Aristolochia fanchi (guang fang ji) instead of Stephania tetranda (fang ji)
Cardiovascular damage and kidney damage
3. Unapproved enhancements
-melamine
Illegally added to food products to increase apparent protein content.
Many amino groups in the chemical structure which mimics protein presence
Pet food recalled in EU and US (2007)
Dairy product and infant milk.
Melamine causes renal failure and kidney stones in humans and animals.
Mode of action: by itself it cant but its metabolized by gut microbiota to produce cyanuric acid.
Formation of melamine cyanurate explaining increase of stones in kidney.
Food supplement fraud
Phosphodiesterase type (PDE-5) inhibitors.
Unapproved food coloring: use of food additives to color food. Yellow, beans, These (dyes) are
genotoxic carcinogens.
Day 3
Watch rotten
Deceiving people on purpose for economic gain. It will affect consumers confidence.
Intentional adulteration: food fraud (economically driven), food defense (ideologically driven). These
overlap each other.
, TESTS shall improve!!
Natural versus social sciences: We need both worlds to understand.
RAT theory:
1. Person that offends. Motivated offender i.e. customer demands supply
2. Object: suitable target i.e. small particle size such as spice.
3. Guardian: protection i.e. no analysis in final product, no balance check, customer relies on
certificates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tz6OU9tnq0
Food fraud from the criminologist perspective
Criminology and food fraud
Food fraud vulnerability assessment for companies
Model used in criminology
Opportunity x motivation (willing to do) x absence of control measures = Fraud vulnerability
Horsemeat scandal 2013
Food fraud upperworld or underworld crime
Organized crime
-Corporate crime
-White collar crime
The mead fraudster and horsemeat fraud
Offenders profiles:
• Stereotypical criminals (4%)
• Adult Persisters (17.8%)
• Adult onset offender (39.4%)
• Stereotypical white collar offenders (38.9%)→ work-related. Once or twice.
Key concepts
In this course, the student will learn about:
• definition and prevalence of food fraud as well as the legislation context;
• consumer and industry perceptions of food fraud;
• factors contributing to the fraud vulnerability of companies and chains, including
criminological aspects;
• fraud vulnerability assessment strategies;
• soft and hard controls to reduce the vulnerability to fraud;
• basics of mass balance and practical examples;
• basics of analytical tests for fraud detection in and beyond the laboratory;
• food fraud mitigation in practice by guest speakers from industry, authorities, and retail.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:
• explain the theoretical concept of food fraud;
• describe relevant fraud indicators;
• describe fraud vulnerability assessment strategies and interpret fraud vulnerability
assessment results;
• select relevant control measures to reduce the vulnerability to fraud for various cases;
• describe various groups of analytical tests and their user groups;
• identify the pros and cons of soft and hard controls in various situations;
• understand the perspectives of various stakeholders.
What is food fraud?
A collective term encompassing the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or
misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, labelling, production information, or false
or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain that could impact consumer health’
*Global Food Safety Initiative
Day 2
Food fraud from a toxicological perspective
In some cases food fraud poses a health risk to the consumer
Ingredients can be toxic or cause allergic reactions.
1. Substitution (cheaper alternative)
e.g. aniline was added in rapeseed oil for industrial use.
TOCP (phosphate used in ginger jake). Potent neurotoxin causing axonopathy. The compound
damages the axon of neuron cells so they lose their contact at the end of the neuron and axon with
the following muscle. As a result you get problem transferring signals to muscles. Paralysis effect.
“The Jake Walk”. Happened again in morocco (1959).
,In 1998: India sunflower oil. Mexican Poppy. It has toxic alkaloids (you dont need to remember the
name of the toxic alkaloids). Inhibits effect in the sodium-potassium ATPase. Disease: epidemic
dropsy (edema). The legs get a watery appearance. In modern times still there is poisoning with
mexican poppy. It is known that even low levels of adulteration by argemone oil cause effects. The
seed is similar to mustard seed.
Sunflower oil from Ukraine containing mineral oils: MOSH and MOAH.
MO aromatic hydrocarbons.
Cheaper alternative: adulteration ground cumin with peanut protein, risk for people with peanut
allergy. Anaphylactic shock.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and fioxins: transformator oils mixed with feed for pigs and
chickens. Contamination mainly in eggs and chicken.
2. Mislabelling (switching ingredients)
-Star anise (2001)
Anisatin in Japanese Illicium religiosum not chinese star illicium verum anise. GABA antagonist.
They used japanese variety which has a phytotoxin. Related ingredients caused problems.
-Belgium (1990s)
Chinese herb based weight loss preparations: 70-100 patients.
Aristolochia fanchi (guang fang ji) instead of Stephania tetranda (fang ji)
Cardiovascular damage and kidney damage
3. Unapproved enhancements
-melamine
Illegally added to food products to increase apparent protein content.
Many amino groups in the chemical structure which mimics protein presence
Pet food recalled in EU and US (2007)
Dairy product and infant milk.
Melamine causes renal failure and kidney stones in humans and animals.
Mode of action: by itself it cant but its metabolized by gut microbiota to produce cyanuric acid.
Formation of melamine cyanurate explaining increase of stones in kidney.
Food supplement fraud
Phosphodiesterase type (PDE-5) inhibitors.
Unapproved food coloring: use of food additives to color food. Yellow, beans, These (dyes) are
genotoxic carcinogens.
Day 3
Watch rotten
Deceiving people on purpose for economic gain. It will affect consumers confidence.
Intentional adulteration: food fraud (economically driven), food defense (ideologically driven). These
overlap each other.
, TESTS shall improve!!
Natural versus social sciences: We need both worlds to understand.
RAT theory:
1. Person that offends. Motivated offender i.e. customer demands supply
2. Object: suitable target i.e. small particle size such as spice.
3. Guardian: protection i.e. no analysis in final product, no balance check, customer relies on
certificates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tz6OU9tnq0
Food fraud from the criminologist perspective
Criminology and food fraud
Food fraud vulnerability assessment for companies
Model used in criminology
Opportunity x motivation (willing to do) x absence of control measures = Fraud vulnerability
Horsemeat scandal 2013
Food fraud upperworld or underworld crime
Organized crime
-Corporate crime
-White collar crime
The mead fraudster and horsemeat fraud
Offenders profiles:
• Stereotypical criminals (4%)
• Adult Persisters (17.8%)
• Adult onset offender (39.4%)
• Stereotypical white collar offenders (38.9%)→ work-related. Once or twice.
