Food Fraud – an overview

Presentation at

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta

Torino, 8 Maggio 2014

Carmen Garau

Head of Unit E5

DG SANCO

(Safety of the Food Chain)

Introduction

• Food fraud, not a new problem

• The consumer perspectives, the views of the European Parliament

• The Member States' role

• What is The Commission (DG SANCO) doing

Food fraud – not a new problem

A few examples in the last decade

2003-2004 Sudan dye added to

chili products

2003-2004 Sudan dye added to

chili products

2007Melamine in

petfood

2007Melamine in

petfood

2008Melamine in infant

formula

2008Melamine in infant

formula

2008Mineral oil in sunflower oil

2008Mineral oil in sunflower oil

2010Dioxin

contaminated technical oil used in feedingstuffs

2010Dioxin

contaminated technical oil used in feedingstuffs

Horse meat: lesson learnt

• Globalization + Technology =

-more opportunities to fraud

-more challenges for fraud detection

• Cooperation cross-border can make the difference

-intelligence gathering/sharing

-efficient use of resources

-effective enforcement

• Science should support increased efforts

-methods reliable/validated

-methods "on top of developments"

Yet another fraud in the food chain!

2013Undeclared horse

meat in beef products>50 000 tonnes of

meat unfit for human consumption!

2013Undeclared horse

meat in beef products>50 000 tonnes of

meat unfit for human consumption!

The consumer perspective*

* Based on studies conducted in 2013 as part of the FP7 FoodRisc project

Horse meat scandal

Horse meat scandal

low confidence in safety and ingredients of

processed meat

low confidence in safety and ingredients of

processed meat

Overwhelmingly a trust issue - not

safety

Overwhelmingly a trust issue - not

safetyGenerally not a

problem with horse meat per se – rather that labelling did not

reflect contents

Generally not a problem with horse

meat per se – rather that labelling did not

reflect contents

Diffuse concerns about product contents and suspicions about the

food chain

Diffuse concerns about product contents and suspicions about the

food chain

Erosion in the ability to make

confident purchases

Erosion in the ability to make

confident purchases

The view of the European Parliament Report 4 Dec 2013 on the food crisis, fraud in the food chain and the control thereof

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food SafetyRapporteur: Esther de Lange

The view of the European Parliament Report 4 Dec 2013 on the food crisis, fraud in the food chain and the control thereof

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food SafetyRapporteur: Esther de Lange

The role of Member States

What is the Commission (DG SANCO) doing?

• Strengthening the Commission and MS capacity to address food fraud

• Proposing stronger official controls

• More effective labelling rules and traceability

Strengthening the Commission and MS capacity to address food fraud

Strengthening the Commission andMS capacity to address food fraud

• Promoting cross-agency cooperation (food inspectors + police + customs + prosecution)

• BTSF Training

• Integrating food fraud priorities into other departments actions

• Increasing awareness (conferences, use of media)

Proposing stronger official controls

• Regular unannounced official controls directed at identifying intentional violations in Multi Annual National Control Plans (New OCR Article 8(2))

• Mandatory (instead of recommended) EU coordinated control plans (New OCR Article 111(a))

• Dissuasive financial penalties in case of intentional violations which must offset the economic gain expected from the violation (New OCR Article 136(2))

• FF Study

• EP amendments: EU Ref. Centre for fraud

• Obligation to blow the whistle

Labelling and traceability – origin labelling

• Recent regulation on information to consumers (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011)

• Adopted mandatory implementing rules on origin labelling for unprocessed pig, poultry, sheep and goat meat

• Report considering the extension of mandatory origin labelling to meat as an ingredient published in December 2013

• Other reports on origin labelling in the pipeline

Labelling and traceability – horse passports

• Ongoing discussion with MS on amending the rules on horse identification (CR (EC) 504/2008)

• Important new requirements –recording of horse data in a central national database and more tamper proof passports

• A further revision to reduce the number of passport issuing bodies will have to await a revision of the zootechnical legislation

Conclusion

•We must respond to the breach in consumer confidence

•There is an expectation that MS capabilities and control efforts to tackle the fraudsters should increase

•A multidisciplinary approach is needed

•Consider strengthening legislation where relevant