Ecovia Intelligence (formerly Organic Monitor) says that the growing market for sustainable and premium foods is bringing greater risks of food fraud. The market research firm believes the way forward is greater transparency in supply chains, with new technologies and global alliances playing an important role.

Organic and eco-labelled food products are at high risk from food fraud because they command a premium.

Technology is playing an important role, with smart labels and mobile apps meeting the informational needs of consumers.

In the UK, the Soil Association has partnered with the technology firm Provenance to provide smart labels on organic foods. QR codes, Barcodes, and NFC tags, are enabling consumers to track organic food products from farm to fork.

Ecovia goes on to say that technology is currently being deployed for food authenticity and to detect fraud. Analytical tools, such as mass spectrometry and gas chromatography, are being used to authenticate premium products, such as Manuka honey, basmati rice, and extra virgin olive oil. Forensic techniques, such as DNA fingerprinting, are now making their way to food labs to check product samples.

International alliances are also being formed to tackle food fraud. Announced recently, the EU-China-Safe project has European and Chinese organisations partnering to improve food safety and tackle food fraud. As well as providing safer, authentic food, the initiative aims to boost consumer confidence and facilitate food trade between the EU and China.

The Global Alliance on Food Crime is another new initiative. Co-chaired by Andy Morling, head of national food crime unit UK, the coalition of international thought leaders focuses on the prevention, detection and disruption of food crime.

Such alliances are necessary to combat food fraud, Ecovia says. A concern however is that as more fraud cases come to light, a casualty may be consumer trust in sustainable foods. In this respect, prevention – rather than cure – maybe the best course of action for the sustainable food industry.