Food fraud involves the deliberate adulteration or misrepresentation of food for economic gain. A food fraud vulnerability assessment identifies vulnerabilities in a food product that could enable fraud. It differs from a risk assessment in that it examines weaknesses rather than past risks. Common motivations for fraud are monetary gain through cost reduction or value inflation. Vulnerability assessments aim to protect consumers, brands, and meet regulatory requirements by preventing fraud and mitigating risks. Fraud risks have increased with globalization and pandemic disruptions to supply chains. Mitigation strategies include supply chain management, auditing, testing, and monitoring geopolitical or economic factors.

2. What is Food Fraud ?
 Food fraud is the deliberate “substitution, addition,
tampering, or misrepresentation of food, food
ingredients, or food packaging” for economic gain.
 Food fraud is the deception of customers and final
consumers through intentional food and drink
adulteration. This manner of tampering is manifested
by means of substituting one product for another,
misrepresenting labelling requirements (e.g. country of
origin, malicious contamination with harmful
biological or chemical substances), adding unapproved
additives, or counterfeiting.

3. Food Fraud Vulnerability
Assessment
 A food fraud vulnerability assessment is a documented assessment
that identifies vulnerabilities to food fraud and explains how those
vulnerabilities were identified.
 A vulnerability assessment is slightly different to a risk assessment;
 risk is something that has occurred before and will occur again, it can
be quantified using existing data. A vulnerability is a weakness that
can be exploited by someone or something who wishes to profit or
intends harm.
 using the word ‘vulnerability’ helps to minimize confusion in the
food industry where risk assessments for food safety are commonly
performed and well understood

4. Reasons behind Food Fraud
Fraud can be instigated at any point along the supply chain from:
 farm to fork
 be it in raw materials
 Ingredients
 the final product
 and even in packaging.
 Monetary gain is the ultimate goal of intentional food fraud, by
increasing its apparent value, reducing production costs, and
selling the product for a price far higher than its worth.

6.  VACCP stands for Vulnerability Assessment and Critical Control
Points. Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Points (VACCP)
is a systematic method to proactively identify and control food
production vulnerabilities that can lead to food fraud.
What is VACCP ?

7.  Contamination: unintentional activity and being
technically unavoidable in food product
 Adulteration: intentional replacement of an ingredient
that is specifically motivated, for example economic or
ideological gain.
Contamination vs Adulteration

8. Vulnerability or Risk
 A vulnerability assessment is slightly different to a risk
assessment.
 Risk is something that has occurred before and will occur again,
it can be quantified using existing data.
 A vulnerability is a weakness that can be exploited by someone
or something who wishes to profit or intends harm. A
vulnerability can lead to a risk.
 Because food fraud is difficult to estimate and quantify, we use
the word vulnerability rather than risk. In addition, using the
word ‘vulnerability’ helps to minimize confusion in the food
industry where risk assessments for food safety are commonly
performed and well understood.

9.  Understand the likelihood of food fraud affecting a food
product
 Understand the impacts of food fraud on consumers and the
food brand
 Provide a framework to priorities strategies to prevent food
fraud occurring and mitigate the risks if fraud does occur.
The Aim Of A Vulnerability Assessment

10. Common cases of Vulnerabilities

11. Vulnerability Assessment
 To protect consumers: Food that is vulnerable to food fraud presents
significant risks to consumers. Food that is adulterated or diluted
causes direct risks to consumers from microbial contaminants,
chemical contaminants, allergens or unhygienic handling of the food
during any adulteration or substitution. There are also indirect risks
from adulterants that cause chronic disease, or are carcinogenic and
from fraudulent foods that are lacking in nutrients that would be
present in an authentic product.
 To protect your brand: Any problem with your food products can
cause loss of consumer trust which can be catastrophic for your brand.
 To meet regulatory requirements: adulteration, substitution or dilution
of an ingredient indicates a flaw in the traceability of your product,
which means non-compliance with the requirements of food safety
regulations.
 To prevent financial losses: product withdrawals, recalls, prosecutions
and civil lawsuits commonly arise from fraudulent adulteration. These
can be financially crippling. How much does a recall cost?
 To meet the requirements of FSMA and GFSI food safety standards,
including BRC, FSSC 22000 and SQF.

12. Top Foods & Ingredients for Fraud

13. Conducting Food Fraud Vulnerability
Assessment
 The vulnerability assessment can be performed on raw materials,
ingredients, intermediate products or finished consumer goods. It is
recommended for all types of businesses in the food industry,
including those operating to GFSI Food Safety Standards, including
British Retail Consortium (BRC) Food Safety Standard Issue 8,
FSSC 22000 Version 5 and Safe Quality Food (SQF) Version 8

14. Why is Food Fraud increasing
 Complex food supply chain
 Challenging economic times
 Increasing pressure for unscrupulous suppliers to commit food fraud
 Food supply is becoming more global
 Food fraud has become A major issue around the globe. Consumers
are losing faith in their food as the number of contaminant cases has
increased exponentially.
 Food fraud not only causing an economic headache but is damaging
people’s health.

15. Increase of food fraud during
COVID-19 pandemic
 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused challenges in the food supply
chain, partially due to the shift in supply and demand. While some
food manufacturers are left with tremendous surpluses, others are
struggling to keep up with their customer’s demands.
 For manufacturers who have seen an increase in demand, goods such
as rice and meat are being purchased from other/new regions. There
have also been cases where meats are diluted with cheaper cuts.
 As manufacturers are finding themselves in a precarious position
where their products are in high demand, delivery bottlenecks and
shortages from suppliers is occurring. As a result of this, less attention
may be given to the supply chain integrity, which opens the door for
new suppliers to submit inferior goods to the manufacturers. This may
lead to an inferior product prone to adulteration reaching the
supermarket shelf.

16. Food Fraud mitigation Plans
 Supply chain:
Measuring the degree of vertical integration in the supply chain for a
particular ingredient, or are purchases made on the open market?
 Audit strategy:
Onsite audit strategy with anti-fraud measures and targeted anti-fraud
measures.
 Supplier relationship:
Strongly established and trusted supplier relationship.
 History of regulatory, quality, or safety issues with a supplier
 Susceptibility of quality assurance methods and specifications

17. Food Fraud Mitigation Plans
 Testing frequency:
Is every lot tested by the buyer, is testing conducted intermittently, or
is there reliance only on Certificates of Analysis?
 Geopolitical considerations:
Is the ingredient sourced from, or does it travel through, a geographic
area with political, food safety, or food security concerns?
 Fraud history:
Is there a high volume of known and documented food fraud incidents
in the ingredient?
 Economic anomalies:
Are there supply pressures, pricing discrepancies, or other economic
factors that may increase the incentive for fraud in the ingredient?

18. Conclusion
Prevention starts with:
 Practical vulnerability assessment tools
 Innovation in analytical methods
 Novel approaches to data analysis/sharing
 Daily in your role as a Food Scientist/Food Technologist