The 10 most adulterated and fraudulent foods in the world (and how to identify them)

A video that went viral in recent weeks reveals alleged fraud in the production of cashew nuts.

In footage filmed in India, people can be seen preparing a dough that, when fried in hot oil, looks a lot like these nuts.

Although this specific case does not constitute fraud – several Indian media outlets confirmed that the delicacy, known as a biscuit cabina common snack in some regions of the country – there is growing concern about food adulteration.

The FDA (the food regulatory agency in the United States) estimates that the 1.0 % of all the food produced in the world suffers some kind of fraud or forgerywhich generates losses of around US$ 40 billion each year.

These products also pose risks in terms of public health. For example, if a person allergic to soy eats a beef burger to which this ingredient has been added without any warning on the packaging.

But then, what foods are most prone to these frauds?

A survey published in 2024 by experts in production chain certification analyzed more than 15 thousand public records on the subject, identified between 1980 and 2022.

The data reveals that the ten most fraudulent foods of the world were:

1. Cow’s milk
2. Extra virgin olive oil
3. Honey
4. Beef
5. Chili powder
6. Olive oil without quality specification
7. Turmeric powder
8. Powdered milk
9. Vodka
10. Ghee (clarified butter)

The survey includes 20 foods in total. The list is completed by orange juice, goat’s milk, wine, chicken meat, ground beef, whiskey, other alcoholic beverages, saffron, virgin olive oil and sesame oil.

The findings, compiled by researchers at U.S. companies FoodChain ID, Henry Chin and Associates y Moore FoodTech and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (MAPA), were published in the scientific journal Journal of Food Protection in March 2024.

The data reveals that the 46% of adulteration cases represent some potential risk to health of those who consume these products.

India, China, United States, Italy and United Kingdom were the countries with highest number of frauds detected.

What is food fraud?

Fraud is “an action by a person or an industry in the agri-food chain whose main objective is to economic benefit“says researcher Aline Silva Mello Cesar, professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Sao Paulo (USP).

That is, this adulteration modifies certain products to increase the profits of those who manufacture or sell them.

It is not surprising that the most attacked foods tend to be those with a high added value like honey, olive oil and beef.

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Dairy products are among the most fraudulent foods on the planet, according to the survey.

In these cases, scammers may add corn syrup (in the case of honey), other types of vegetable oils (in olive oil) or include cuts of different species, such as pork and poultry (in the case of beef).

“The most common fraud we know of is precisely adulteration, in which the manufacturer dilutes the original content or adds ingredientssuch as water and starch, so that the final product yields more“, explains Cesar.

“And logically this information is not placed on the label or the packaging.”

The starch mentioned by the researcher is used, for example, in condiments.

Water is a part of milk, juices and other beverages. It is mixed with the main ingredient and usually does not change the taste when the consumer prepares a recipe.

But there are other strategies that are commonly detected in inspections and scientific studies.

In the scientific article analyzing the most fraudulent foods in the world, the authors also mention:

• The use of Artificial additives used to change the color and appearance of foodsuch as applying gel to enlarge shrimp, for example.
• The application of biocides (such as pesticides and antibiotics) banned in some places.
• Omission or misrepresentation of nutritional content: When the label says there is a specific ingredient, does not mention the presence of genetically modified foods, lies about the product being organic or promises miraculous health effects, for example.
• The Removal of original substances and characteristics of that food, such as the typical flavor compounds of some peppers.
• The combination of all the techniques mentioned above.

“Selling stolen cargo is also a form of fraud because the person doing it is not authorized to do so,” Cesar added.

The implications of fraud

In addition to economic issues, experts are concerned about the practical impacts of these adulterations in food.

“Fraud has very serious consequences in terms of public health“, says the USP professor.

Let’s imagine the case of a person allergic to cow’s milk who buys a cheese supposedly made from goat’s milk. If this food is made with ingredients of bovine origin, this can cause a severe allergic reaction that can even lead to death.

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Some scammers mix spices, such as turmeric, with starch.

The same goes for foods that should be gluten-free. If this compound is present, it can create a serious problem for someone with celiac disease.

Cesar recalls an episode that occurred in China in 2008, when the manufacturers of a brand of powdered milk added melamine to the formula, with the aim of increasing the amount of protein in the drink.

Melamine is a toxic substance, unfit for human consumption, used in the manufacture of plastics and fertilizers.

The illegal operation killed six babies and sickened another 300,000.

“Furthermore, we cannot forget ethical and religious issues. Some people do not eat pork because they profess a certain faith.“, Cesar recalls.

There have been cases of “100% beef” burgers containing pork, for example.

There are also episodes of Vegetarian or vegan products made with ingredients of animal originor even those that claim to be organic, but do not have any certification that accredits this specific agricultural practice.

“These consumers are being deceived and this creates disruptions in their lives,” says the researcher.

How to identify food fraud

Most of the time the illegal changes during manufacturing are so elaborate that It is almost impossible to notice anything different in the appearance of the final product..

It is therefore necessary to rely on the scientists and institutions responsible for carrying out this inspection.

Cesar acknowledges, however, that agencies and researchers themselves often lag behind in making progress on food counterfeiting.

“Every day there is a new fraud or a way to circumvent the analytical methods we have to detect these problems”he says.

But the researcher believes that it is possible to use new technologies to reduce this advantage for scammers.

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A goat’s milk cheese that contains cow’s milk as an ingredient can cause severe reactions in allergic people.

She herself uses some molecular biology and genetic sequencing tools in the laboratory of the Esalq-USP to verify the origin of various products.

As science advances and gains new possibilities, there are some basic tips that every consumer can put into practice to avoid some frauds.

“The first of them is suspect prices well below market“, says Cesar.

For example: if you know that a 500 milliliter bottle of extra virgin olive oil costs between US$7.00 and US$9.00, you should be careful with overly good promotions, which sell the same product for US$3.50, for example.

“It is also worth looking for the inspection or control stamps emitted that appear on the labels of many of these foods,” adds the teacher.

Finally, in cases where a person is used to buying a certain food and notices some significant change in the taste, texture, aroma or other aspects, it is a good idea Contact the company’s customer service or an official health agency.

According to Cesar, “this type of communication with official bodies is very important to detect frauds that may be off the radar.”