Food supply chains vulnerable to fraud and adulteration “more than ever,” Kerry warns

05 Sep 2022 — The disruption of global supply chains, food shortages and the ongoing challenges of producing sustainable and nutritious food for a growing world population are being observed by consumers and industry. With pressures continuing to increase, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerry emphasized the importance of food safety and integrity, as well as its solutions to maintaining secure supply chains.

In an exclusive interview, Noeleen Donegan, global vice president of Kerry Food Safety, said First Food Ingredients how the company deals with these issues.

“Instances of raw ingredients and food product shortages have been widespread in recent months for various reasons. This means that many consumers have to turn to alternatives in their daily lives.”

With key ingredients less readily available and the industry under pressure to limit retail price increases, he says the global supply chain is now – more than ever – vulnerable to fraud. eating and adultery.

Supply chain transparency
The company is an active member of the global non-profit SSAFE, which works to strengthen food safety and improve welfare, together with the Food Industry Intelligence Network (FIN) established in 2015, to ensure the integrity of food supply chains and protect interests. of consumers.

Kerry takes an “integrated approach” to meat processors to meet food safety and shelf life expectations.It also invests in Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE) projects.

However, the globalization of ingredient sourcing continues to make food integrity risk assessment throughout the supply chain more challenging and growing consumer and regulatory demands for transparency and food sustainability are driving the industry. to find better ways to share information in the supply chain.

Donegan says “the industry must continue to work together if we are to achieve a fully transparent supply chain and the ability to share information on food fraud across its global operations. “

“Joining collaborative efforts like FIIN and SSAFE is an important step toward this goal,” he said.

In addition, Kerry continues to monitor local regulatory trends and requirements. Doing so allows the company to support brands looking to update or change their preservation and protection processes, Donegan said.

While progress has been made, the globalization of ingredient sourcing continues to create challenges in assessing food integrity and waste risk in supply chains.

Fortunately, Donegan said, a growing consumer and regulatory demand for food transparency and sustainability is pushing the industry to find better ways to share information in the supply chain.

“Kerry has the flexibility to share the supply of raw material across regions as needed and appropriate.”

Violation of industrial food fraud
When food fraud and ingredient adulteration occur throughout the industry, actions are widely taken for economic gain – with genuine products exchanged for low-quality alternatives – and negatively impact consumer confidence. and the reputation of food manufacturers.

It is estimated that the economic motivation of food adulteration costs the industry about €8 billion (US$7.9 billion) to €12 billion (US$11.9 billion) annually, according to the European Commission, Donegan explained.

“While this type of fraud violates the intellectual property rights of the affected company, it also poses a direct threat from an allergen and safety point of view.”

In particular, food integrity has long been recognized as an industry imperative, partly to reduce economic damage but most importantly to protect customers.

“The World Health Organization has called for industry collaboration for decades and established an annual World Food Safety Day in 2018 to highlight the need for continued action,” he emphasized.

What ingredients are consumers most concerned about?
According to proprietary research conducted by Kerry last year, the company found that meat is the number one category that consumers are concerned about when it comes to food safety.

“Fresh meat tops the list,” explains Donegan, “with processed meat coming in next.” Interestingly, meat alternatives also rank high on the list.

“This research also shows that 60% of consumers are more concerned about food safety since the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Of course, having the right food protection and preservation solutions in place is essential to ensure that a product is and remains safe for consumption.

Solutions for meat safety
According to Donegan, Kerry is taking an “integrated approach” to meat processors to meet food safety and shelf life expectations.

The formulation of meat food safety solutions requires trained microbiologists, application challenges, and shelf life studies. He explained that challenge studies mimic potentiaThe globalization of ingredient sourcing continues to make food integrity risk assessment throughout the supply chain challenging.l contamination to demonstrate that a preservative can keep food safe during a worst-case scenario.

“One of our newest solutions in this space is an acetate-based preservation solution for meat.”

“This innovation is a unique blend of acetate and diacetate to provide exceptional efficacy and food safety. It is a dry product that can be used up to five times less than traditional liquid lactate /diacetate mixture to achieve the same level of food safety.

Because this solution is used in such small doses, it often has no negative impact on taste, he said. “The efficiency of the low dose is due to the very high non-dissolving acid content. This means that less preservative product is required while still meeting important food safety standards. In a more technical terms, the positive effects of acetates are higher in the neutral-pH zone – a key reason that lactates can be replaced by using acetates in lower doses.

With many food safety preservation solutions currently on the market – both conventional and those that offer a clean label – there is a sodium base that contributes significantly to the final product, the need for solutions led to a slow but steady shift in preservation protocols, Donegan details.

Meat applications are “notoriously challenging” in terms of meeting sodium targets, so he says sodium-based preservatives are ground zero for reformulators.

“Our solution is sodium free to help meet processors’ sodium reduction goals while maintaining optimal food safety in their meat products.

Uncertainty for plant-based alternatives
Meanwhile, just as the industry is exploring new fields of plant-based alternatives, so are consumers, and knowing the process of storing and cooking these new products, they remain cautious, warns Donegan.

“Nearly half of consumers express concerns about the food safety of plant-based meat alternatives, according to a survey conducted by Kerry last year, second only to the real deal. How do you know if is a plant-based burger cooked properly or past its use-by date? Does plant-based meat pass or fail the stale sniff test?”

According to Donegan, these uncertainties pose an issue for increased food waste as customers err on the side of caution. “Research shows that only half of food waste can be reduced by extending shelf life or changing preservation, while the remaining 50% lies in changing consumer behavior.”

He presents the opportunity for businesses to explain their food safety credentials in meat alternatives and innovate new ways to satisfy customers’ concerns.

Another challenge facing the meat-free innovation sector is that statistically, a consumer of plant-based alternatives has more important health needs and is very conscious of the ingredient label of a product. Traditionally effective preservatives such as salt and sugar are less desirable and may deter some consumers from purchasing a product.

However, without adequate preservation, the shelf life of a product is shortened; its safety can be questioned, and the risk of food waste increases again.

Kerry is working to resolve these issues effectively. “One way is to investigate the degradation of organisms in plant-based meat alternatives, which is higher than other food products. By reducing it through clean label preservation solutions , the shelf life of the product can be increased, resulting in less waste,” concludes Donegan.

By Elizabeth Green

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