Food fraud is a multi-billion dollar problem in the market today where people are unknowingly purchasing food items that might not be what they claim to be.
Millions of people are tricked into buying something they might not mean to be, they could be purchasing something they otherwise wouldn't have went with if they were made fully aware of the ingredients.
It has been estimated that this could be a multi-billion dollar issue with food today.
food fraud includes items involving mislabeling, counterfeits, as well as food items with dilutions, and substitutions.
- herbs and spices
- meat, poultry, fish,
- vegetable oils,
- honey
- olive oil
- coffee, tea
- and grains.
Some have suggested that you might try to avoid this issue by shopping local but there have even been issues found there as well, with local farmers markets for example. Also, not everyone has the time to browse multiple places locally to gather everything that they might need, if everything isn't available in one spot that takes more time and money. Those who are already struggling might not have the option to go that route. Food fraud has been found with small suppliers too. So what else is there to do?
Being aware of the problem could be a first step, knowing which items might be more prone to being tinkered with such as olive oil, honey, fish, and other goods. But what then? Reading the label might also give some clues.
There are also some labels like PDO and PGI which could indicate a higher quality food item that has possibly been distinguished as a quality good.
Experts have also suggested avoiding purchasing processed foods when possible altogether to try and avoid the issue. Trying to buy from a brand with a good reputation is another route to go and you can always look online to find more info about where the food is coming from that is being sold by a certain store or company.
Pics:
pixabay
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethhoffman/2013/10/23/top-10-at-risk-fraudulent-foods-surprising-and-disheartening/?sh=4ca8d4ca5945
While it is conceivable that farmer's markets can undertake such deceptions, it is the only potential solution to the problem. Trusted personal relationships secure resources.
Thanks!
Just wait until T.H.E.Y. start adding bug meal to everything.
And the hardest thing to gain knowledge of is "common practice"
Like, today, it is just the norm to raise Cross-X chickens for meat.
Fed on grain pellets and growth hormones.
It is so normal, that that is the way the chicken feed comes.
Cross-X chickens get so fat that they can't really have sex
So, the new crop of chicks were artificially inseminated.
And words like "cage-free" and "free range" have meanings that you would never think.
(opening the door, to the big barn they chickens have lived in their whole lives, for an hour counts as free range. Cage free means they live inside one really big cage, instead of many small ones.)
People will start growing food more fervently as more food fraud becomes apparent
Only knew about part of these. Always try to read the labels and look for the good foods.
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