Introducing and defining food fraud: John Spink, director of the Food Fraud Institute at Michigan State University.
Michigan State University has not only defined the term “food fraud,” but the university also is helping the United States and other countries establish the strategies to fight it.
In the current issue of Food Chemistry Journal, the MSU research team introduces the topic of food fraud and provides a definition with translations in Russian, Korean and Chinese. The paper also tackles a system-wide focus that could lead to prevention.
“Our article is a translation by experts in their countries and includes an interpretation to address the emerging issue in their country,” Spink said. “The co-authors are champions for food fraud prevention around the world.”
Food fraud is defined as intentionally using deception for economic gain involving food. MSU has been helping governments, manufacturers and retailers that have been deceived. Recent examples include European stores unintentionally selling beef tainted with horsemeat, pet foods with melamine filler in lieu of whey protein—a substitution that proved deadly for many pets—and Chinese Walmarts mistakenly including fox meat in their offerings of donkey meat.
More on MSU Today.
Contact(s): Layne Cameron, John Spink