And \u2014 as long as food has been sold as a commodity \u2014 consumers have been getting ripped off.<\/p>\n
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Honey is one of the world’s most adulterated foods. (ABC News: Che Chorley)<\/p>\n
In ancient Rome and Athens, laws tried to regulate wine being altered with flavours and colours. In 13th century Europe, England’s King John announced penalties for tampering with bread.<\/p>\n
As supply chains have grown bigger and more complex, food fraud has become a global issue.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Senaka Ranadheera, from the University of Melbourne, says there are seven types of food fraud: adulteration, mislabelling, counterfeiting, unapproved enhancement, theft, diversion, and document forgery.<\/p>\n
“Usually, high value food and beverages are more vulnerable because they can make more profit,” Dr Ranadheera told 7.30.<\/p>\n
“Some of the very common examples we talk about is truffle. French black truffle is premium and it can be substituted with cheaper Chinese black truffle.”‘A $50 billion problem’<\/p>\n
There was a scandal in Britain when horse meat was found in beef lasagnes in 2013. (Adobe Stock)<\/p>\n
Food fraud isn’t exclusive to premium products.<\/p>\n
In 2013 DNA testing found horse meat in beef lasagnes<\/a> in the United Kingdom, sparking an investigation that linked the scandal to organised crime.<\/p>\n In Australia consumer advocacy group Choice found seven out of 12 oregano products contained ingredients other than the herb \u2014 like olive leaves \u2014 in 2016.<\/p>\n A study by Macquarie University in 2018 found one in five samples of Australian honey were adulterated<\/a> \u2014 meaning the honey had been mixed with non-honey substances.\u00a0<\/p>\n The study said honey is the world’s third-most adulterated food source (after milk and olive oil).<\/p>\n Almost 12 per cent of seafood items are mislabelled<\/a> in Australia, according to a 2023 study commissioned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation. In that same year, the ACCC fined Costco $33,000 for labelling Canadian lobster as Australian.<\/p>\n Oregano products were found to contain other ingredients, like olive leaves, during tests in 2016. (Adobe Stock)<\/p>\n These examples only scratch the surface.<\/p>\n The global cost of food fraud is $50 billion, and $2-3 billion in Australia alone, according to a 2021 report commissioned by AgriFutures Australia.<\/p>\n “It’s endemic through supply chains,” said Dr Michael Smith, an author of the 2021 report and Deakin University researcher.<\/p>\n He says industries are reluctant to confront the issue due to the risk of profit loss from reputational damage.<\/p>\n “The consumer has to just believe what’s on the shelf and what is presented is right, but fraudulent activity occurs,” Mr Smith said.<\/p>\n “At any point in the supply chain somebody can interfere with the food product.”A small team and a big problem Dr Debashish Mazumder, leader of food provenance research at ANSTO, prepares to test some prawns. (ABC News)<\/p>\n In a lab on the outskirts of Sydney, a small team of scientists are taking on this big problem.<\/p>\n Jason Bertoldi from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is peeling prawns, something he says he has become very good at, in preparation to analyse its elemental composition.<\/p>\n “As my colleague said, ‘You are what you eat,'” the technical officer says.<\/p>\n He’s wielding a handheld XRF (X-ray fluorescent) scanner, designed typically for use in mine sites and even jewellery stores to confirm authenticity.\u00a0<\/p>\n The team at ANSTO have adapted this technology to analyse the elemental composition of food. This has been described as a “finger-print”. The elements that make up animals is unique based on their location.<\/p>\n “What they’re eating is different depending on where they are in the world. And so that accumulates in their bodies and then shows up variances that our mathematical model is able to pick up,” Mr Bertoldi said.<\/p>\n ANSTO technical officer Jason Bertoldi wielding the X-ray fluorescent scanner. (ABC News)<\/p>\n The scans of the prawns are sent to another scientist to cross reference with a database.<\/p>\n The results of one tiger prawn confirms with 87 per cent certainty they are of Australian farmed origin.<\/p>\n “The database is the fundamental part of this project,” Dr Debashish Mazumder, leader of food provenance research, said.<\/p>\n “We need authentic samples first to build the environmental fingerprint data library or database.”\u00a0<\/p>\n The team are slowly building this database with the help of Sydney Fish Markets, who have supplied thousands of genuine samples to the team.<\/p>\n Dr Debashish Mazumder uses the XRF scanner to test Kakadu plum. (ABC News)<\/p>\n “We need help or support so that we can enhance this database so that this technology can be distributed to everyone including our industry and the governments,” Dr Mazumder said.<\/p>\n Most of their work has been with seafood but the team is ambitious.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of their projects exposed fake Kakadu plum products from overseas suppliers. Kakadu plum is an Australian Indigenous product known for its high vitamin C content.\u00a0<\/p>\n They are working with countries in Asia to expand their scope to products like rice, mangoes and turmeric.<\/p>\n The hope is that producers, distributers and even consumers can use the handheld device to scan their food and verify its geographic location.<\/p>\n Investment needed<\/p>\n Dr Smith says that developing technology, like ANSTO’s food provenance project, is essential in fighting food fraud, and there needs to be sector wide investment.<\/p>\n “It was really pretty much up to independent universities who are doing a lot of the research in food traceability,” he said.<\/p>\n But the good news, Mr Smith says, is there has been progress.<\/p>\n “When I first did the report everyone was in denial. But at least now there is movement towards trying to do the traceability and the provenance on products.”<\/p>\n Watch 7.30<\/a>, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview<\/a> and ABC TV<\/p>\n Contact 7.30<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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