Food fraud is likely to get worse before it gets better. So warn the authors of Sorting the Beef from the Bull, by Bristol University Prof Richard Evershed and science writer Nicola Temple.
She writes: “In 2012, I met Professor Richard Evershed FRS while writing a series of stories for the University of Bristol, featuring research that was having an impact on society. Richard had developed methods to detect adulterated maize oil and when I started to dig deeper into the story, I discovered that his methods had become the international standard. We share a passion for wholesome food and an abhorrence for those who purposely deceive us about what we eat. After the horse meat scandal in 2013, we decided it was time to put our thoughts to paper. We wanted to bring examples of food fraud together and share the sophisticated science that has helped discover and deter fraudsters, as well as the equally sophisticated science behind the fraud as well.
“Sorting the Beef from the Bull is a collection of horrifying tales of food fraud. It explains the role of science in uncovering some of the century’s biggest food scams, and explores the arms race between food forensics and fraudsters as new methods of detection spur more creative and sophisticated means of committing the crimes.”
Centuries ago, the Romans added lead to sour wine to mask the flavour and fraudsters likely began tinkering with our food centuries before them. Whether it’s a matter of making a good quality oil stretch a bit further by adding a little extra ‘something’ or labelling a food falsely to appeal to current consumer trends – it’s all food fraud, and it costs the food industry billions of dollars each year. The price to consumers may be even higher, with some paying for these crimes with their health and even lives.
Sorting the Beef is published by Bloomsbury. It has a foreword by Prof Chris Elliot, who featured in the December 2015 print issue of Professional Security magazine after he wrote the Government’s review of the scandal, and was the main speaker at a ‘fighting food fraud’ conference in Doncaster by the exam awarding body Highfield.
