Steps to Prevent Food Fraud for Manufacturers

You will also need to continually review and assess to determine if there is new information that may identify an increased risk of fraud. This process is called horizon scanning. An example of increasing risk of fraud could be the situation we have all experienced with the pandemic. As you scan the horizon, have there been disruptions specific to your supply chain and are you prepared for the next potential disruption?

The Need for Diligence

Unfortunately, there will always be unscrupulous people who will mislead consumers to achieve dishonest profits. These actions severely impact those companies that cannot compete against fraudulently low prices and poor quality, and that are unwilling to put consumers in harm’s way. Additionally, it seems that those who are responsible for committing fraud are often one step ahead of the rest of us. Once a possible adulteration case is detected, criminals are already working to go unnoticed again. As long as there is demand for a product, there will continue to be a threat of fraudulent activity related to that product.

However, more information is available today on the production methods used, the regions from which products originate, and the methods that allow for the identification of adulteration. There is also a wealth of information available to assist in planning and executing mitigation strategies.

While food fraud may not always be as easy to detect as red food coloring on your fingers, the steps to mitigating food fraud are definitely right at your fingertips.

Watterson is Food Safety Professional, Operations, Americas, AIB International. Reach him at [email protected]. Hernandez is Food Safety Professional, Operations, Americas, AIB International. Reach her at [email protected].