European standard launched for food fraud

A European standard defining the terms and concepts used in connection with food fraud has been laun…

A European standard defining the terms and concepts used in connection with food fraud has been launched by food experts and the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima).

The words are placed in a hierarchical system that makes it easier to understand how they relate to each other.

The standard – Authenticity and fraud in the feed and food chain – Concepts, terms, and definitions – was published in January 2019 by Standard Norway and is also being distributed by several other National Standardization Bodies in Europe.

Petter Olsen, a senior scientist at Nofima, coordinated the standardisation efforts as part of the EU-funded projects Authent-Net and FoodIntegrity.

“We have created a common European standard in which all the definitions are interconnected and mutually consistent,” said Olsen.

Olsen asserts that there was a great need for a common standard that defines, categorises and clearly separates the different concepts.

“Terms relating to food fraud are often used interchangeably even though they mean entirely different things. This can lead to confusion and misunderstanding, especially across borders,” he said.

“It is clear that this standard will be significant, especially when it comes to research and legislation.

“For example, if one defines laws and regulations that refer to the tampering or adulteration of food, it is important that everyone understands the difference between these two terms.

“The same applies when developing statistics, creating reports, or writing scientific publications.”