Fraud and food safety
About this expertise
In short- Developing methods
- Fingerprints
- Analyses and statistics
Food fraud can be dangerous to health. This is because it is then unknown what exactly is in the product or where it comes from. It may contain harmful substances or substances to which people are allergic. Also, products that were actually expired may be sold again.
Food fraud occurs when deliberate changes are made to food products for financial gain. It can apply to the food itself, but also to its production or packaging. Consider, for example, substitution of an ingredient or incorrect statement of production method or origin. Regarding food fraud Wageningen Food Safety Research focuses mainly on developing methods to detect fraud.
Examples of food fraud include:- selling horsemeat as beef;- adding water to make meat or fish heavier;- calling eggs organic when they are not;- stating an incorrect country of origin for shellfish.
To prove food fraud, so-called analytical fingerprints are often needed. We can determine these by combining both simple and advanced analytical techniques with statistics. For example, we can see whether an egg is really organic and what the origin of a batch of cocoa beans is.
How WFSR detects fraud
Like substitution of (animal) species, added nitrogen substitutes in milk, extra moisture in meat, functional components in special honey and fertiliser, added fertiliser in animal manure, certain fats in animal feed.
Processes special characteristics of thawed fish versus fresh fish, farm cheese made from heated milk instead of raw milk.
Think organic eggs versus conventional eggs, meat with animal welfare stars, farmed fish or wild fish.
Research into soil composition and climatic conditions to trace the origin of, for example, bananas, coffee beans and cocoa beans.
DNA methods allow us to identify which plant or animal raw materials are present in a product. For example, we can show whether meat comes from cow or horse, or whether fish is plaice or dab. This works for both simple products (such as a fish fillet or berry) and complex mixtures (such as minced meat or ragout). We can also check whether a label is correct and whether allergenic ingredients, such as peanuts or citrus fruits, are present.
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Get in touch with our expert
Do you have questions about our research into food fraud or would you like to know more about our analytical methods? Please contact our expert.
AM (Annemieke) Pustjens-D' Hamecourt, PhD MSc
Teamleader Authenticity & Nutrients