A European project aims to create a platform where stakeholders can come together to discuss food fraud.
The European Food Fraud Community of Practice (EFF-CoP) is led by Saskia van Ruth, Professor of Food Supply Chain Integrity at the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin.
Professor Van Ruth said food fraud reaches every dining table and undermines confidence in food.
“The EFF-CoP project will establish and mobilize an unprecedented collaborative community of 5,000 members of scientists, regulators, small and large companies in food supply chains and laboratories in driving research and innovation for food authenticity to create a future with greater traceability and trust in our food. EFF-CoP will revolutionize the way we fight food fraud, promote fair competition between food companies and increase consumer confidence across Europe,” she said.
With €2 million ($2.1 million) funding under Horizon Europe, the project will officially start in January 2025 and end in December 2027.
It is separate from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Food Systems Community of Practice, which covers nutrition and food safety.
Input from partners
The goal is to create a community of over 5,000 members committed to fighting food fraud and learning from each other.
The work includes festivals, gamification-based training, living labs, an ‘Authentic Appetites’ podcast series, webinars, virtual cafes, a workshop to prepare for food fraud incidents and other events.
One part of the project is to bring small and medium-sized enterprises into a knowledge exchange network, where they can learn from each other’s experiences and expertise and benefit from collaboration and innovation across borders.
University College Dublin coordinates the project with eleven participants, including Nofima, Wageningen University, LGC, Deloitte and Eurofins France. Eight partners include the Economic and Food Safety Authority (ASAE) in Portugal, SSAFE and the Food Fraud Prevention Think Tank, both in the United States, and the Food Industry Intelligence Network (FIIN).
The International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises (INSME) is a consortium partner.
Secretary General of INSME, Giovanni Zazzerini, said: “SMEs are not only the backbone, but also the most dynamic force in the European food sector. However, they often face significant challenges when it comes to ensuring full transparency and authenticity in their supply chains, especially with limited resources compared to large companies. This project provides SMEs with critical tools to protect their brands and reputations, better meet growing consumer demands for transparency and more easily comply with complex regulatory standards.”
SSAFE is a nonprofit membership organization that uses public-private partnerships to strengthen food supplies. The company has been dealing with fraud issues for more than ten years.
Quincy Lissaur, Executive Director of SSAFE, said: “Food fraud remains a serious concern impacting lives and livelihoods everywhere. This initiative represents a strong step forward in bringing together stakeholders from across the EU and other parts of the world to jointly fight food fraud.”
ANSTO food fraud project
Meanwhile, a workshop on food fraud was held in Sydney, Australia, in October as part of the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA).
The event was part of a project led by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), which is investigating the use of nuclear analytical techniques in food traceability.
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam sent participants to Australia, with representatives from Japan attending virtually. Two observers from Fiji also attended in person.
All participating countries harvesting Tiger Shrimp will contribute samples. Other items to explore include turmeric, rice, mango, honey, coffee, plums, meat and milk.
Dr. Debashish Mazumder, stable isotope ecologist at ANSTO, said the project is exploring setting up a food provenance technology platform and database for priority food products to reduce fraud cases in the supply chain.
In a question-and-answer session, participants raised common challenges raised by the project, including funding issues, sample collection issues, industry trust issues and the importance of food safety and provenance to address adulteration issues in the supply chain to grab.
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