FIRST FOOD FRAUD CONFERENCE HELD AT KNUST

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The First National Conference on Food Fraud has been held in Kumasi. It highlighted the dangers associated with food fraud, what the law says, and how food fraud can be checked by the consumer.

The Regulatory Officer at the Food and Drugs Authority, P. A. Opoku explained that food fraud, also referred to as Economic Motivated Adulteration, as a collective term used to encompass the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, food packaging, or false and misleading statements made about a product for economic gain.

 He said a major action that constitutes food fraud is adulteration, which means the food contains or bears unsafe, poisonous substances or had been prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions.

 Another action is mis-branding which refers to foods being marketed as something they are not. 

Mr. Opoku said though usually harmless, some food fraud incidents can result in serious public health consequences. 

He said cheaper fraudulent food products labeled as authentic undercut legitimate industry’s prices making it difficult for honest companies to compete in the market place and recoup the expenses they have incurred. 

Mr. Opoku cited the latest food fraud incident the FDA detected as the use of Sudan 4 dye, a carcinogen in palm oil but was quick to assure the public that measures have been taken to ensure these harmful products are off the markets. He appealed to the public not to hesitate to report any suspected case of food fraud to the FDA.

 The Conference was organized by the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partnership with Litfahm Consultancy Services on the theme, “Combating Food Fraud, A Multidisciplinary Approach”. 

Participants included food group associations, market women, academia, research institutions and students. 

Thematic areas highlighted at the conference bordered on business, academia and researchers and legal regulation perspectives.

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