Version 2.0 of the database enables users to identify historical trends and vulnerabilities using a customizable dashboard that can generate automatic alerts of new records of food fraud and automated analytics for ingredients of interest. Other available information includes incident reports, surveillance records and analytical methods gathered from scientific journals, media publications, regulatory records, judicial records and trade associations around the world in addition to thousands of ingredients and related adulterants.
Food fraud affects 10 percent of the global food supply and costs the food manufacturing industry an estimated $10 to $15 billion annually, USP reported, and the industry needs tools like FFD 2.0 to stay abreast of trends economically motivated adulteration (EMA).
“With data informed by scientists and food fraud experts from academia, industry and regulatory agencies, the new database offers even better coverage of the historical information on instances of food fraud,” Jonathan W. DeVries, Ph.D., chair of USP’s Expert Committee on Food Ingredients, said in a statement. USP’s Expert Committees are responsible for developing and revising convention’s quality standards and other tools.
The organization said the upgraded FFD 2.0 will help food manufacturers, comply with new regulatory requirements, protect their brand reputation and gain consumer trust.
“Consumers today are more educated than ever, and manufacturers risk doing irreparable damage to their brands as a result of food fraud,” explained Todd Abraham, senior vice president of Global Research and Nutrition at Mondel?z International and a member of USP’s Board of Trustees. “The Food Fraud Database 2.0 provides food manufacturers with the ability to look at past incidents of fraud and take proactive steps to protect their supply chains — thus protecting their reputation and ensuring consumer confidence in their products.”
