CARIRI examines food fraud

FOLLOWING the 2013 Brazilian horse-meat scandal where beef supplies were adulterated with horse flesh and after other concerns were raised at a joint select committee meeting, the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) will next week host a one-day conference on Food Fraud: Prevention and Mitigation.

A CARIRI statement said food fraud, deception perpetrated for economic gain involving food, is a US$40 billion per annum affair.

While just one incident able to cause irrefutable damage to consumer trust in a brand, globalisation and complex food supply-chains create lucrative opportunities for such fraudsters, said a CARIRI statement. While food fraud has taken place for millennia, it took the 2013 horse meat scandal to galvanise the international food industry to act in a collaborative way on the issue.

The conference aims to educate people on the phenomenon, conduct a vulnerability assessment for TT and pioneer mitigation measures for the Caribbean against food fraud. The event is largely aimed at regulators, consumers, manufacturers and distributors.

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"CARIRI examines food fraud"

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