Food Quality Magazine
ISSUE 02 | AUTUMN 2014
With that said, and as I have said
previously, no matter how much policing of Food Fraud is increased
domestically, no matter how many
audits are done or how many laboratory tests are conducted, the
simple fact of the matter is that the
volume of food ingredients that come into our countries and that are
incorporated into the food we eat
from countries that are rife with food
fraud, makes it impossible to stop
the problem through the methods
outlined in the Elliott Report.
Consumer awareness, zero-tolerance, laboratory services, audits, government support, leadership and
crisis management, 7 of the 8 pillars
of food integrity found in Professor
Elliott’s report, do not singularly nor
collectively address the problem of
Food Fraud. Each provides either
a way, some more effectively than
others, to detect Food Fraud and
to deal with Food Fraud once it is
So what is the answer? The only
way that Food Fraud can be significantly be curbed is with intelligence and customized actions that are
based on that intelligence. Horizon
scanning and information databases
are of limited use when there is limited ability to gather extraterritorial
intelligence.
1. Gather reliable intelligence;
2. Take action based on the intelligence gathered.
There you have it folks. The answer
to the 2000 year old question can
be summarized in ten words. Believe
it or not, this approach was just as
applicable 2000 years ago as it is today. We don’t need PhDs or politicians to tell us this. It’s common sense.
Let’s cut to the chase. The bottom
line with respect to food fraud prevention rests on the shoulders of the
food industry. Those who produce,
sell and make the food we eat, are
ultimately responsible for what they
sell and holding their suppliers accountable. Using the carrot and stick
approach, those in the food industry
can compel compliance and do the
most to prevent food fraud.
INSCATECH is the first and only
company in the world that is actively taking steps to figure out who,
where, when and how Food Fraud
is being committed. In other words,
it is the only company in the world
that gathers reliable intelligence.
INSCATECH is also the only company
in the world that suggests actions
that are based on the intelligence
gathered and that halt food fraud.
Let me propose a two-step solution
to combat food fraud:
Mitchell Weinberg is the Founder,
President and CEO of INSCATECH.
discovered.
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