Food forensics

Posted by Andrew Wadge on November 20th 2006 in Food fraud

No, not a storyline on TV’s CSI, but a reference to the Agency’s drive to combat food fraud, highlighted in the New Scientist’s 11 November 2006 issue.  My colleague Mark Woolfe, who leads on the Agency’s food authenticity research programme, was quoted.

In the last 10 years we've seen DNA techniques, originally applied to criminal forensics, adapted to detect food fraud. We've used it to check if Basmati rice has been mixed with cheaper varieties, or whether potatoes are being fraudulently labelled as King Edwards. 

And differences in stable isotopic ratios can help to differentiate between wild and farmed fish. We've also set up a national food fraud database for local authorities to share intelligence on known or suspected food fraud incidents.  Like science, effective enforcement relies on a sound evidence base and a high level of information-sharing. On that subject, please respond to this posting if you‘ve got any comments, have first hand experience of food fraud, or simply want to know more.

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Rice/GMO

Posted by Anonymous (not verified) on 02/05/2007 - 03:58

Rice being GMO what about all the other foods that are GMO I talk to alot of public and some don't have a clue what GMO Where ever you go and have imp. knowledge it should be passed on as word of mouth still is the best ADVERTISING in this WORLD!!! ALL GMO CROPS SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR THIS NEW FUEL THEY INTENDED IT FOR. MANKIND SHOULD NOT BE CONSUMING IT BESIDES WITH ALL THE GMO AROUND WE MAY AS WELL US IT FOR AUTO FUEL. HUMANS NEED TO STOP BEING TARGETS FOR THESE BIG GIANTS THAT WANT TO CONTROL US THE PEOPLE. WE NEED HEALTHY NO POISONED FOOD. ORGANIC ALL THE WAY!!!!!!

i totally agree

Posted by Anonymous (not verified) on 23/02/2007 - 15:00

eggs are really big this season they remain a major source of protein. However i believe that this bird flu epidemic could have a detrimental effect on their sales.

i totally agree

Posted by Anonymous (not verified) on 23/02/2007 - 14:59

eggs are really big this season they remain a major source of protein. However i believe that this bird flu epidemic could have a detrimental effect on their sales.

Hello Falkirk High

Posted by Andrew Wadge on 10/01/2007 - 18:10

Thanks for your post....good to hear from you. A junk food roadshow and your own chef? I'm impressed. We never had that in my schooldays. Not sure about the cow heart burger though!

I don't think our Cooking Bus comes to Scotland but if it does I'll give you the nod. Anyway, all the best for 2007 and keep up the interest in food. And in science, for that matter. All the best, Andrew

hello

Posted by Rachael` (not verified) on 14/12/2006 - 10:26

hello we are from falkirk high school

last thursday we had a junk food roadshow. It told us information about what goes into her food, and the cheif made a grill steak burger it was gross!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the amount of sugar was really high it had over 4 different names. The other dissapointing thing was that beef was only half and the rest of the burger was a cow heart.

We hope you liked this comment thanks for taking time to read it on behalf of falkirk high.

GM Rice contamination

Posted by Brian (not verified) on 01/12/2006 - 12:18

I agree with this comment from Mark. When the GM rice contamination story broke, FSA decided immediately that it was not a food safety issue, but simply an issue relating to a breach of regulations. That was bad science, since there is no evidence that LL601 rice is safe to eat. Indeed, since it is untested and illegal, it is by definition unfit for human consumption. So an Ad Hoc Incident Group was set up, as a damage limitation exercise rather than as a necessity for the protection of public health. This has been widely seen as an attempt by FSA to protect Bayer from the consequences of breaking the law -- whereas FSA's priority should be to protect the public. Since the end of August the FSA has spent its time seeking to justify that original piece of misjudgement -- and in the process it has advised retailers to break the law and advised consumers to carry on eating contaminated rice.
FSA has -- in the estimation of many consumer groups -- acted as an advocate for the GM industry for several years, and has steadfastly refused to support or to commission feeding trials which might indicate whether or not GM food really is as safe as it assumes. That does not inspire confidence.

GM contamination

Posted by mark (not verified) on 29/11/2006 - 18:20

The most worrying example of food fraud recently is the Food Standards Agency allowing retailers to keep illegal GM-contaminated rice on the shelves, in advice issued in September, despite this being against the law.

Fortunately the Food Standards Agency was obliged to change its advice in October and is now advising retailers to remove GM-contaminated rice from sale. However, it has advised consumers that GM-contaminated rice can still be consumed. This is despite the fact that no independent safety testing has been carried out on the rice.

The current Food Standards Agency information can be seen here:
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/oct/gmrice

If the Food Standards Agency's stance on "food fraud" is to be taken seriously, then it will have to enforce the law more rigorously and protect consumers from contaminated products such as LL601 GM rice, Starlink GM maize and antibiotics in yoghurt (the Bowland Dairy case).

All of these are serious examples of "food fraud" from which the Food Standards Agency must do better to safeguard the public.