| Abstract: |
Due to an increasingly globalized food chain and economic incentives to provide products at a lower cost, food fraud has become a major headache for food brands everywhere. According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, food fraud is estimated to cost the global food economy between $10 and 15 billion a year. In fact, food fraud affects about 10% of all commercially sold food products. Not a month goes by without news outlets covering yet another case of food fraud, from counterfeit high-end products, like olive oil, wine and cheese, to products that purport health benefits but have little active ingredients, and even falsely labeled organic or non-GMO foods. What’s more, incidents related to food safety are on the rise, with massive outbreaks of salmonella and listeria, and foods that are tampered with using ingredients that many people are allergic to. |
