The Criminals Running Our Food Chain | Food Fraud: An Organised Crime?
Wed 9:59 pm +01:00, 18 Oct 2023 3
Horse meat labelled as beef. Honey diluted with cheap sugar syrups. Counterfeit extra-virgin olive oil. Food crime is a multi-billion dollar industry affecting everything from the cheapest to most expensive ingredient.
10% of what we eat is thought to be adulterated. “What we know for sure is that food fraud is growing exponentially and it’s more and more worrying,” states one consumer advocate. Criminal syndicates are infiltrating the global food supply chain, undermining the ability of consumers to trust what is on the label and what ends up on their plate. In Italy, entire sectors of the food industry are controlled by the mafia.
All over the world, well-organised criminal networks work together to penetrate complex supply chains. Scams range from the intentional mislabelling of inferior products in order to pass them off as premium items, to the substitution of one food stuff for something else entirely.
The profits are enormous. But what are the risks to the consumer? How can we identify food fraud? And what can be done to stop it? In this investigation, we follow the food fraud brigades and reveal how little we know about what we’re eating. From the olive groves of Italy to the fish markets of France and the abattoirs of Poland, this film takes you on a culinary journey of a very different kind. A global investigation into the counterfeit food industry. This documentary was first released in 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1RKG1l8VE
This rings true. I worked in the food business from 1985 to 2010 and it was obvious that the industry was wide open to labelling fraud even then
I worked for small private companies. But I employed guys who had been sacked by big corporate, for revealing cosy labelling frauds to their bosses who didn’t want to know. Profits over ethics, classic
Everyone took a cut down the whole supply chain, producer, buyer, processor, retailer, even the unwitting consumer who paid a lower price. Most of the chain didn’t know of course, it was mainly in the production, buying and processing that the fraud occurred
We bought “maple syrup” in the 1980’s which turned out to be adulterated with glucose
Given recent inflation then, the incentive for fraud is even higher now
We returned the “maple syrup” and demanded, and got, our money back. My company was highly ethical and would never cheat the labelling system. Even though the opportunity was sometimes there
Interesting you were in the food industry Pete and can confirm the fraud going on. The adulterated food is another factor in causing illness and those who took the jab will be even more subject to adverse reactions! Now, they will be substituting processed insects as beef and lamb!