Food Fraud and Risk Perception: Awareness in Canada and Projected Trust on Risk-Mitigating Agents

Food authenticity and the interactions with human health and climate change

Food authenticity and fraud, as well as the interest in food traceability have become a topic of increasing interest not only for consumers but also for the research community and the food manufacturing industry. Food authenticity and fraud are becoming prevalent in both the food supply and value chains since ancient times where different issues (e.g., food spoilage during shipment and storage, mixing decay foods with fresh products) has resulted in foods that influence consumers health. The effect of climate change on the quality of food ingredients and products could also have the potential to influence food authenticity. However, this issue has not been considered. This article focused on the interactions between consumer health and the potential effects of climate change on food authenticity and fraud. The role of technology and development of risk management tools to mitigate these issues are also discussed. Where applicable papers that underline the links between the interactions of climate change, human health and food fraud were referenced.

Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro

The main objective of this study was to investigate how food fraud is perceived among consumers in Serbia and Montenegro. A total of 1264 consumers from the two countries participated in an online survey during the second half of 2022, using Google forms®. In the Serbian population, older or highly educated respondents are aware of different types of fraudulent activities such as substitution, mislabeling, concealment, and counterfeiting. Dilution is mostly recognized by women, the younger population, and students. Consumers believe that trust is the most important factor when purchasing food. The highest level of agreement regarding food fraud is that such activities may pose serious health risks to consumers, and that food inspection services are the most responsible actors in the food chain continuum. When it comes to purchasing food, open green markets are most trustworthy, followed by hypermarkets. Concerning the types of food, fish is most susceptible to fraud, followed by olive oil. This study builds upon existing knowledge of food consumers about food fraud in Europe.

Historical Evolution and Food Control Achievements of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Electronic Nose, and Electronic Tongue-Critical Overview

Amid today's stringent regulations and rising consumer awareness, failing to meet quality standards often results in health and financial compromises. In the lookout for solutions, the food industry has seen a surge in high-performing systems all along the production chain. By virtue of their wide-range designs, speed, and real-time data processing, the electronic tongue (E-tongue), electronic nose (E-nose), and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy have been at the forefront of quality control technologies. The instruments have been used to fingerprint food properties and to control food production from farm-to-fork. Coupled with advanced chemometric tools, these high-throughput yet cost-effective tools have shifted the focus away from lengthy and laborious conventional methods. This special issue paper focuses on the historical overview of the instruments and their role in food quality measurements based on defined food matrices from the Codex General Standards. The instruments have been used to detect, classify, and predict adulteration of dairy products, sweeteners, beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish products. Multiple physico-chemical and sensory parameters of these foods have also been predicted with the instruments in combination with chemometrics. Their inherent potential for speedy, affordable, and reliable measurements makes them a perfect choice for food control. The high sensitivity of the instruments can sometimes be generally challenging due to the influence of environmental conditions, but mathematical correction techniques exist to combat these challenges.