Testing | ADPEN Laboratories

Olive Oil, Milk, Honey Among Food Ingredients Most Vulnerable to Fraud, Says USP Database

April 10, 2012 By Steven Perez

Olive Oil, milk, honey, saffron, orange juice, coffee, and apple juice are the top seven food ingredients subject to economically motivated adulteration, according to a food-fraud database created by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP; Rockville, MD).

USP says the database is the first known public database of its kind to compile reports on food fraud and economically motivated adulteration in food. The database also contains records of analytical detection methods used to detect adulterants.
[Read more…]

That’s Fishy: Feds Fight Fraud in Seafood Sizes

March 20, 2012 By Steven Perez

BOSTON—Those plump and tempting scallops behind the fish counter glass might be a lot smaller than they look — a sodium-based compound can bloat scallops well past their actual size. And that pollock fillet isn’t such a good deal if the price includes the layers of ice glazed onto it to keep it fresh.

This “overglazing” rips off consumers, as does so-called “soaking” of scallops, which can also alter the taste of the shellfish. At the International Boston Seafood Show this week, a top federal seafood quality officer announced his agency was increasing efforts to stop these and other types of seafood fraud.
[Read more…]

Fraud Isn’t Funny – ‘Species Substitution’

March 19, 2012 By Steven Perez

Having reported on seafood fraud extensively in the past (in June 2007, July 2009 and March 2012), I attended Monday’s International Boston Seafood Show conference, “Seafood Substitution: Efforts and Strategies to Eliminate Mislabeling and Fraud from the Marketplace,” with great interest.

A diverse and experienced panel of speakers was lined up, including a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) representative, a former fisheries law enforcement officer, the secretary of the Better Seafood Bureau, a federal seafood-inspection officer and an executive from a DNA-identification laboratory that tests suspicious seafood. Everyone brought a unique perspective and expertise that more people in the industry need to hear.

‘Be Proactive’ About Food Safety

March 19, 2012 By Steven Perez

“Be proactive” when it comes to dealing with the new Food Safety Modernization Act — that’s the main message that panelists delivered at the final conference of this year’s International Boston Seafood Show.

The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 has radically changed the way seafood is sourced, distributed and imported into the United States. With the Panelists at the “Food Safety Compliance Under the New Food Safety Modernization Act of 2001” discussed the implications of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new regulations and real-life ways to best comply with them.

Antibiotic Resistance: An Emerging Food Safety Concern

March 19, 2012 By Steven Perez

Antibiotics[1] are drugs capable of killing bacteria or disrupting their reproduction without harming their host, and have been used for more than 70 years to treat people with infections and for more than 50 years in veterinary medicine. They have undoubtedly saved millions of lives, but the establishment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is jeopardizing their effectiveness. Misuse, overuse and injudicious use of this important class of drugs are being debated by academics, veterinarians, regulators and consumers alike. What all parties can agree upon is that antibiotic resistance is a complicated issue that needs urgent attention and continuing dialogue, as the policies of food production begin to shift to protect these essential drugs from losing their effectiveness.
[Read more…]

Olive Oil, Milk, Honey Among Food Ingredients Most Vulnerable to Fraud, Says USP Database

That’s Fishy: Feds Fight Fraud in Seafood Sizes

Fraud Isn’t Funny – ‘Species Substitution’

‘Be Proactive’ About Food Safety

Antibiotic Resistance: An Emerging Food Safety Concern

What Our Clients Say About ADPEN

Get in Touch With Us