Food frauds: food safety and nutrition in jeopardy? raising awareness

Transcription

1 Food frauds: food safety and nutrition in jeopardy? raising awareness Herman B.W.M. Koëter, MSc, DTox, ERT Managing Director, Orange House

2 MISLEADING THE CONSUMER LIKELY NOT AFFECTING HEALTH

3 Misleading the consumer (not affecting health) Minor infringements (examples): Pretending a beneficial effect; Pretending a better quality than is; Pretending a larger volume/weight; 3

4 Milk in chocolate? 4

5 Milk in chocolate? 5

6 Milk in chocolate? 6

7 Fat free wine gums 7

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10 Healthy donuts? 10

11 Grandma s? 11

12 The box is only for 2/3 filled 12

13 Misleading the consumer but not affecting health: what to do? Minor infringements (probably not breaking the law): be alert, tell your friends and family, inform your favourite consumer organisation; let the producer know you re no fool! 13

14 SERIOUSLY MISLEADING THE CONSUMER POSSIBLY NOT AFFECTING HEALTH

15 Misleading the consumer (not affecting health) More serious infringements (a few examples): Content is less than indicated on the package; Falsely claiming absence of certain ingredients (like GMOs) Falsely claiming compliance with certain labels Adding non-hazardous substances; Incorrect indication of origin. 15

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20 Adding non-hazardous substances 20

21 Adding (non-hazardous) substances 21

22 Duurzame palmolie: eerste labels

23 Helps his immunity? 23

24 Misleading the consumer but not affecting health: what to do? False information (unlawful): be alert, tell your friends and family, inform your favourite consumer organisation; let the producer know you re no fool! return the item to the store; alert the authorities and request for action. 24

25 SERIOUS FRAUDS POSSIBLY AFFECTING HEALTH

26 Serious frauds, possibly affecting health Some examples: Falsely claiming a nutrition or health effect; Intentionally incorrect ingredient list; Falsely claiming fortification of the food; Adding hazardous substances; Main ingredient is not as indicated; Repacking food with a later best before date 26

27 False or unsupported claims Food information may include a verifiable claim : nutrition claims: (e.g., low in fat, high in proteins, etc.); Health claims: (e.g., makes your bones stronger, good for your heart and blood vessels, etc.) 27

28 False or unsupported claims In the EU in 2010: more than 80% of the (>1700) dossiers submitted to support a health claim were dismissed based on insufficient justification (proof). 28

29 Fortified? 29

30 Fake Maple Syrup Case 2011, US A person from Rhode Island man in Vermont was selling fake maple syrup (made from cane sugar) made his syrup from water, sugar and Maple flavouring. Selling since 2009: 3 years in prison Source: _n_ html 30

31 Meat adulteration scandal 2013, Europe frozen beefburgers sold in several Irish and British supermarkets foods advertised as containing beef were found to contain undeclared horse meat, as much as 100% of the meat content in some cases; spread to 13 other European countries in many products; concern:the veterinary drug phenylbutazone; Source: Dutch import firm: criminal case, currently in court.

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33 Baby formula lacking a major ingredient, Israel, babies with similar symptoms were hospitalised countrywide ( situation by 8 nov 2003 ) Remedia Super Soya 1, soy-based, dairy-free baby formula was produced by a German company and distributed by an Israeli company, Remedia. The ingredients formula was changed and 90 percent of the vitamin B1 (thiamine) was removed due to human error Source: 11/17/world/petah-tikva-journalwith-a-common-thread-israelisunravel-infants-illness.html

34 Extra virgin olive oil , UK 39 people involved, more than 25,000 liters of fake extra virgin oil confiscated; It was due to be exported, or marketed in Italy, in bottles bearing the labels of non-existent companies; oil was made from soya beans or sunflower seeds (some of it genetically modified) and mixed with betacarotene and industrial chlorophyll; Countries involved: UK, Germany, Source: Switzerland and the USA. extra-virgin-olive-oil-a-common- form-of-food-fraud/ 34

35 Glen s vodka-2009, UK Contaminated vodka with high levels of methanol, bleach to lighten its color; Cases of poisoning throughout Europe, including in the Czech Republic, where more than 20 people died after drinking fake vodka have been reported Source: food-fraud-more-widespread-than-suspected.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

36 Melamine crisis 36

37 Serious frauds, possibly affecting health: what to do? be alert, tell your friends and family, inform your favourite consumer organisation; let the producer know you re no fool! return the item to the store; alert the authorities and request for action; Report to the police; Seek publicity; Product should be taken off the shelves. 37

38 FOOD ACCIDENTS

39 Food accidents Technical failures during production, transport, storage, and/or retail; Human errors; Microbiological contamination; Chemical contamination; Happen unintentionally; Often hard to find the origin or the cause 39

40 Escherichia Coli 0104:H4 Europe,

41 Escherichia Coli 0104:H4 German E.coli traced to bean sprouts, No cucumbers Suspected source: fenugreek seeds from Egypt, sprouted in Germany Taken measures: the European Union has banned the import of all Egyptian seeds beans for sprouting 41

42 Hepatitis A outbreak in Northern Europe, 2013 At least 71 people sickened in Nordic EU countries, but the exact food source is still not certain. Source: might be frozen berries, because a lot of victims declared the assumption of this kind of food

43 Dioxin contamination- Germany, Mixed fatty acids intended for technical purposes in feeding fats led to high level of dioxin in eggs 150 animals slathered; German authorities shut down close to 5,000 farms No spread of the contamination in other Member States Source

44 Star anise tea- 2003, US and the Netherlands The Chinese star anise is considered safe (Illicium verum) the Japanese star anise, contains sikimitoxin and is toxic (Illicium anisatum) not possible to visually distinguish serious neurological effects, such as seizures, to vomiting, jitteriness and rapid eye movement Source 44

45 Listeria Outbreak US

46 Listeria Outbreak US deaths and 146 total confirmed Cases The worst food borne illness outbreak in the United States, measured by the number of deaths Possible contamination sources: field contamination packaging facilities contamination storage faciilities Source OutbreaksEmergencies/ Outbreaks/ucm htm

47 Salmonella outbreak recall US people died 691 people in 46 states, half of them children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most extensive food recall ever in US history. 361 companies and 3,913 different products manufactured using PCA ( Peanut Corporation of America) supplier 47

48 Salmonella eggs recall-us, 2010 Over half a billion recalled eggs Almost 2,000 illnesses from the strain of Salmonella Source: could be rodents, shipments of contaminated hens, or tainted feed

49 Bottled water contamination 49

50 Technical failure during production In 1990 a famous French mineral water appeared to be severely contaminated with benzene; Cause: a technical failure (a pump was leaking benzene); One week after the contamination was identified the company recalled 160,000,000 bottles. 50

51 Prevention, preparedness and response in cases of food fraud and accidents I. Prevention and preparedness Surveillance and compliance monitoring: adequately staffed and well-trained food safety and inspection authorities: both at (inter)national and regional level; adequate and up-to-date analytical microbiological and chemical laboratory capacity; 51

52 Prevention, preparedness and response in cases of food fraud and accidents II. Responding to emerging calamities Rapid alert and action: Informing regional, national and, as appropriate international food authorities (RASFF); Immediate, provisional scientific assessment of the risk; Risk-based provisional decision with respect to avoiding consumer exposure; Investigating the origin/source; 52

53 Prevention, preparedness and response in cases of food fraud and accidents II. Responding to emerging calamities Rapid alert and action: Communication Communication at all stages of the event to professionals and the public: Total transparency is essential. 53

54 Communication of food fraud or accidents that may affect consumers health 1. Tell the truth 2. Tell it now 3. Tell it simple 4. Tell it often 5. Practice often

55 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION