Analytical toolbox for food fraud

[safefood Knowledge Network]

The authentication of food to ensure that it has not been subject to fraud is a significant and challenging task. Currently there is not an internationally recognised official definition of food fraud. A generally accepted concept is that food fraud occurs when a perpetrator deliberately passes off a foodstuff that does not meet either implicit or explicit claims. It therefore covers a huge variety of acts including, but not limited to, undeclared addition of water, exceeding fishing quotas, redirection of stolen products and substitution of key ingredients. When using an analytical approach to verify the authenticity of a product, it is important to identify a strategy, which enables differentiation between fraudulent and authentic samples.