Dealing with Fraudulent Food

[talon]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/233253

Food fraud has been around for as long as there have been food vendors. Most food fraudsters don't want to sicken their customers, just to sell counterfeits that make them rich and keep the customer returning for more. They don't want to get caught.

In the field of herbs, adulterated herbs have long been an issue and reputable herbalists know their sources. For us, look-alikes, and even taste-alikes, can be ineffective, produce the wrong effects or side effects, and may even prove harmful. We are very careful about the herbs we use. Many of us are expert wildcrafters and gardeners in order to get the right herbs. When we must buy, we know who our dealers are and where they sourced their herbs.

Food fraud contributes to allergic reactions and increased food sensitivities - when you don't know that your extra virgin olive oil is cut with much cheaper peanut oil, when your peanut butter is cut with soy oil, when your cornflakes contain wheat, it can even prove deadly.

Some frauds are easy to see - Wild Atlantic Salmon is an endangered species, anything labeled with it is automatically a fraud - but others are subtle. Can you tell at a glance the difference between red snapper and tilapia? Does sniffing milk let you know it's contaminated with melamine? Is it really a good French cognac in your glass or a cheaper American brandy? Is your honey cut with corn syrup?

Sometimes, food fraud is unintentional - the seller takes the word of their supply chain that the food they are selling you really is what it's represented to be. They use the faked food in their manufacture or in their restaurant. You and they are ripped off.

What can you, as a consumer, do about food fraud?

That's where this article falters. Sure, it tells you to be aware of what your favorite foods look like and to be aware that an unusually low price could mean a faked food, but it stops there.

Let me carry it forward for you. If you followed the article's advice, you'd never get to try new foods because you could only eat the ones you already know. I say don't be afraid to experiment and price isn't always a good indication of a faked food.

Being informed is always a good step in detecting food fraud, but you don't need a degree in chemistry or biochemistry in order to get what you pay for. Know where your food comes from, when it's in season, and what path it takes to reach you.

If you eat at restaurants, ask about their supply chains. Do they make their food from scratch on the premises, or do they use par-baked or pre-made foods from a food distributor or central processing plant? Chain restaurants are more likely to be serving faked foods than ones that know the supply chain from raw ingredient to the dish on your table. Their food is more likely to be contaminated with soy, peanut oil, or wheat without their knowledge. I remember when a new restaurant opened in town - a Brazilian style churrascaria - and when we asked what was in a dish they had on their menu, their cook (I can't call him a chef) came out to tell us all their food arrived pre-made and needing only to be heated before serving and he didn't know what the ingredients actually were because the boxes they came in didn't list ingredients. Sadly we couldn't eat there. The risk of getting food containing an allergen was too high.

As a consumer, don't hesitate to ask. And if the cook/chef is unaware of the ingredients in the food they serve, leave. They'll either learn what their food sources are or they'll go out of business.

Don't forget your ability to network with people who have similar food needs. They'll know which restaurants know their ingredients. They may even know more about the ingredients than the employees at the restaurant!

As a food shopper for your home kitchen, you'll need to do a bit more sleuthing. Buy your food from reputable sources. Investigate food manufacturers and compare labels. Network with people who have similar food restrictions, allergies, or sensitivities. They'll know which manufacturers are the uncontaminated ones, which brands are the most reliable, and which fishmongers, butchers, and greengrocers are the most honest.

If possible, get to know the people who supply the food you eat - the farmers and ranchers at the farmer's market or food coop or CSA you use. In fact, consider buying as much of your food as you can through your local farmer's market, food coop, or CSA.

I am a locavore, but I am not rabid about it because I know that not all foods are grown in every location. And I've learned that not all farmers provide tasty versions of what they do grow. I've been disappointed by bitter, woody carrots, salsify being sold as parsnips, and dandelion greens being sold as mustard greens at farmer's markets. I've even had someone try to pass off unripe mulberries as blackberries. You still have to be wary and know your sources even at a Farmer's Market. Still, getting to know the people who grow or raise the food you eat is a good idea. If you make it personal for the farmer or rancher, they'll make it personal to provide the best they can.

If, like me, you like exotic foods, you have to be extra careful in the source of that food. This is especially true of food you are trying for the first time. Again, rely on networks of food enthusiasts. These people will know where the food comes from, if it's sustainably grown, if it contains contaminants or is fraudulently represented. Seek out specialty groups such as coffee enthusiasts, or tea aficionados, or beef eaters, or wild game cooks, or Aussie Fruit Lovers, Native Bean Lovers, or whatever specialty food grabs your tastebuds. Quality food magazines may introduce you to a new or exotic ingredient, but it's the enthusiasts that will steer you to the food that is both exactly what it's supposed to be and what you deserve.

Reciprocate. When you stumble across food that isn't what it's represented to be - dandelion greens masquerading as Japanese edible chrysanthemum, for example, or olive oil cut with peanut oil, or peanut butter made with soy oil, share that information. Post it on food networks, tell your friends, and send a letter to the food manufacturer telling them you dislike their adulteration. Notify the FDA, too, so they can add your information to what they already have.

Living in a community means taking responsibility. If you are going to trust others to give you valid, reliable information, then you also need to pass along valid, reliable information. The information doesn't stop with you, it gets passed along.

And someday, in some fantasized utopian view of the world, there will be no more food fraudsters and all our food will be what the label says it is. Until then - research, read, learn, and share.