Fight Food Fraud with These Five Labelling Tactics

By Joe Sleiman

Food fraud is a growing problem, costing the global food trade an estimated $30-$40 billion in annual losses, and it can clearly put public health at risk. While the term is typically defined as intentional deception using food for economic gain there are seven different aspects to food fraud: adulteration, tampering, overrun, theft, diversion, simulation and counterfeit.

Labelling can be an important ally in the effort to eliminate food fraud in our complex global chain. If you are a packer, grower or processor, there are five key steps you can take to reduce the risk that food fraud will someday hold your business hostage:

Step #1: Do Your Due Diligence to Fight Fraud
You want to start by critically assessing your supply chains in order to best mitigate your risks. Questions you can ask include: