Page 54 - PET worldwide issue 03/2021

Pet food ingredients Strategies against

pet food fraud

Food Forensics and Synergy Petfood have announced their
collaboration to offer support for pet food fraud mitigation.

Food fraud does not respect a per cent; proof if it were needed pet owners willing to pay more for
crisis and the criminals who that we have an ideal climate for premium, including raw materi-
commit food fraud look for fraud. Whether the supply chain als claims, e.g. health & wellness
emerging supply chain vulner- is impacted by Covid-19, bor- benefits of botanicals or organic,
abilities to exploit for financial der issues with Brexit, or both, specified sources e.g. Scottish
benefit. Experts have identified it should serve as a call to arms salmon. The authenticity of these
an increasing trend in global for everyone in the food supply materials is therefore important.
food fraud during the Covid-19 chain Crucially, food fraud can result
in a serious food safety failure as
seen with the 2007/2008 mela-
mine crisis. This occurred when
a strategically important ingredi-
ent, wheat gluten, was adulter-
ated with melamine. This resulted
in artificially high protein content,
which commanded a greater
market price. Tragically, this led
to the costliest pet food recall
(>42 mio dollars) and the deaths
of around 2 000 cats and 2 200

SRI founder David Primrose (left) and Rick Sanderson, business development director of Food dogs due to illness from consum-
Forensics, want to fulfil requirements with regard to raw materials food fraud mitigation. ing the adulterated ingredients.
To develop and maintain trust
pandemic, with the full extent Destroying trust in pet food, many pet food manu-
unlikely to be seen for some time. Due to the nature of pet food, facturers and ingredient suppli-
A review of the food fraud and its raw materials and complex ers implement the internation-
authenticity issues reported on supply chains, food fraud might ally accredited, third-party food
the Food Forensics Knowledge also have occurred in the pet safety management standards
Base platform over the last 12 food industry. People often ask, of the Global Food Safety Initia-
months demonstrates an in- why does food fraud matter in tive (GFSI). These include all as-
crease of 12 per cent on the pre- pet food? The answer is that it pects of food integrity, i.e. safety,
vious year. Perhaps of greater destroys trust in the pet food in- legality, quality, and authenticity
concern is the rate of increase dustry’s ability to supply the au- of the food. Standards like BRC,
in recorded incidences, with the thentic products expected by pet FSSC22000, the IFS Food Stand-
rate increasing in the last quar- owners. Premiumisation is an on- ard and SQF all include the need
ter of 2020 by a staggering 38 going market growth driver, with for food fraud mitigation.

54 PET worldwide 3|2021

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