What are we talking about?
Food fraud is the next legislative enigma for food regulators in EU, as well as in other major food systems, like the US one. I am following from the very inside the legislative work on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean (and I will be more than happy to discuss with any of you about this topic) but, despite the differences in the approach, the problems remain the same.
Due to the changing nature and variety of the phenomena, the first and biggest problem is to find a comprehensive definition. The second is to introduce effective and dissuasive sanctions, together with an enforcement system with adequate means and skills to contrast them.
In this context some certification schemes, like the BRC version 7, are introducing specific requirements for food fraud prevention. But how to manage a specific audit for food fraud prevention, how to ask the right question, as well as how to implement a vulnerability assessment plan it is hard to define in a single “standard”.
An effective food fraud prevention system cannot exist without a solid base of intelligence, without a continuous activity of horizon scanning for emerging risks and without a strong control on your supply chain.
Inscatech is the first and only company currently providing intelligence gathering boots on the ground all over the world, food fraud vulnerability assessments and control plans. Inscatech has established a solid reputation in the food industry and in the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) Food Fraud Think Tank as both a pioneer and the sole provider of food fraud intelligence investigations, forensically based vulnerability assessments, supplier qualification examinations, validated supply chain mapping, and food fraud vulnerability control programs. Through its work with many of the largest food producers and retail grocery conglomerates globally, Inscatech is leading the food industry towards a harmonized and systematic approach to protecting the safety and authenticity of the global food supply.
INSCATECH in the news and my next activities
You can read more about Inscatech:
- in this amazing article on Wired: “The A-Team That Tracks the Poisonous Additives in Our Food”;
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on Food Safety News: “F00d Fraud: Money Scam and Health Hazard”
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on NY Times: “Counterfeit food more widespread than suspected”
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and you can hear the Radio New Zealand interview “Food Spies” with Mitchell Weinberg (CEO and President at Inscatech).
On 27th March 2015 I will be in Milan for a free presentation about the BRC 7 requirements for food frauds prevention.
On 2nd June 2015 I will be guest speaker at the Food&Beverage Law&IP conference, organised in London by IPRConnections in the exclusive location of the London Stock Exchange. Foodlawlatest.com is a media partner of the event. There will be speakers and representative from the most well recognised companies in the world, such as Unilever, Nestle, Mondelez, Scotch Whisky Association, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Pernod Ricard, Red Bull Asia and many others.
Together with one of the most experienced person in EU regarding the fight against food fraud, John Coady, Chief Audit Manager in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and member of the FSAI’s multi-agency Food Fraud Task Force, I will speak in a panel full of case study about recent food frauds events and tips about what is going on at EU level. As Vice President EU Business and Regulatory affairs at Inscatech, I will give you some hints about how to protect your business from food frauds and about the pivotal role of the intelligence in preventing those events.
FOOD LAW LATEST 