Atlante Launches Task Force Against Food Fraud

Already trusted by major international food and beverage chains for the selection, export, import, and distribution of high quality goods and products around the world, Atlante is proud to announce a further plan designed to ensure even greater quality assurance.

Read on to learn exactly how the Food Fraud Risk Assessment Task Force works, along with  why these measures are so necessary for the food and beverage industry today.

DATA-DRIVEN, MULTIFACETED Food FRAUD RISK ASSESSMENT

The Food Fraud Risk Assessment is based on in-depth knowledge of food fraud vulnerability assessment tools and techniques, which are applied in a practical and industry-relevant way. Through this program the risk is assessed for each individual product marketed and the level of intrinsic risk is calculated.

Our Food Fraud Specialist is also tasked with identifying raw materials and/or finished products in the market that are at risk of fraud. As leaders in market intelligence, our data-driven approach and expert analysts can reliably outline various risks and trends in commodities, ingredients, and raw materials.

“The protection of products and customers is the top priority for Atlante, which is why we have developed this solid Food Fraud Risk Assessment plan and integrated the figure of the Food Fraud Specialist," explains Natasha Linhart, CEO of Atlante. "Our plan is based on extensive knowledge of the tools and techniques used to identify and assess food fraud vulnerabilities, and is applied in a practical, meticulous and constantly updated manner.”

She goes on to detail the importance of this multifaceted plan:

“Assessing vulnerabilities in the food sector requires an integrated approach involving all stakeholders in the food chain, such as producers, suppliers, distributors, regulators and control bodies. Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities is essential to ensure food safety, protect consumers and preserve the integrity and reputation of our industry.”

WHY IS FOOD fRAUD A GLOBAL CONCERN?

Food fraud is a very significant problem for many companies in this sector. By definition, it refers to 'intentional product-related alteration,' such as the undeclared substitution of ingredients, falsifying the geographical origin of a food, misleading labeling or counterfeiting of trademarks, with the aim of obtaining an economic advantage or defrauding consumers. More information on the particular nature of each type of food fraud can be found below.

There are therefore many complex aspects of food products to be monitored, such as the integrity of ingredients, their origin and traceability, specifics regarding their production processes, distribution and logistics, and even IT security considerations.

During 2022, according to data from the ICQRF (the Central Inspectorate for the Protection of Quality and Fraud Repression of Agri-food Products of the Ministry of Agriculture) over 32.7 million euros' worth of goods were seized due to food fraud; more than 90% of the checks concerned the food products themselves and around 10% were concerning technical means for agriculture (feed, fertilisers, seeds, phytosanitary products).

Overall, this amounted to over 27.6 million kg of goods seized last year, according to the ICQRF data.

The many forms (AND CONSEQUENCES) of food fraud

Curious about how food fraud practices actually work? They can take many forms, including:

• Ingredient Substitution: An inferior or less expensive ingredient is substituted for another ingredient without informing consumers. For example, high quality olive oil can be cut with less expensive seed oils.
  
• Falsification of Origin: the geographical origin of a food is falsified or erroneously declared. For example, a fish of unknown origin may be sold as a high quality fish from a particular region.
• Misleading Labeling: Information on a food product label is false or misleading. For example, the label may include ingredients that are not in the product or misleading nutrition claims.
• Trademark Counterfeiting: Counterfeit foods are produced and marketed, imitating the registered trademarks of legitimate food products. This can concern both branded products and typical or traditional products.
• Food Safety Risks: Food fraud can also involve serious food safety risks, such as when harmful or toxic ingredients are added to foods.

The consequences of food fraud can be significant, for both consumers and businesses. Consumers can be deceived into buying inferior quality food products or made to pay premium prices for counterfeit products- and in the worst cases, they can be exposed to serious health risks.

Food businesses can suffer reputational damage, financial loss and potential legal consequences. Therefore, to combat the problem of food fraud, control and monitoring measures along the entire food chain are needed- as well as collaboration between regulators, producers, distributors and consumers themselves.

Atlante acts as a valuable link between regulators, producers, distributors, and the consumer market, upholding our high standards and values every step of the way. We are pleased to be implementing the Food Fraud Risk Assessment Task Force to aid in this aim.

Complete article on Il Corriere della Sera

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