This book deals with a crucial matter regarding food. The problem of food fraud,
unfortunately, has been with us as long as the history of food trade. The oldest
recorded food laws attempt to deter it. In Babylon, you might be thrown into the
Euphrates with a millstone around your neck for the adulteration of flour. In the
fourth century BC, the Greek Theophrastus reported on the use of food adulterants
for economic reasons in Enquiry into Plants. Pliny the Elder in Natural History
provides evidence of widespread adulteration, such as bread adulterated with chalk
to make it whiter and pepper adulterated with juniper berries in economic fraud.
John Spink brings an important perspective to this field. Food lawyers tend to
look at food fraud from a legal liability viewpoint. Yet, reputational damage can far
exceed the penalties in the laws. Food safety experts tend to approach the topic as
health and safety risks. Yet, the clever fraudsters seek economic advantage and may
present to health risk. Food scientists see the challenges in standards, detection, and
testing. Yet, there can be adulterated food that contains no adulterant. Criminologists
see motive and opportunity. Yet, the nature of supply chains can muddle such analysis.
To deal with these seeming contradictions, John Spink brings a multidisciplinary
approach to the topic.
The problem of food fraud is global in nature. Food fraud concerns public health
but goes beyond to economic loss and harm to consumer confidence in individual
companies and also loss of confidence in the integrity of the food supply. This has
been with us since the beginning of food trade and will be with us as long as there
is a trade in food. Knowledge is the key to food fraud prevention. And there has
never been a better time for this book.
John Spink’s footprints on the field of food fraud circle the globe. He is in such
demand as a speaker; it can be hard to catch up with him even while working at the
same university. Fortunately, we have his book.