Food producers must ensure they maintain factory audits and supply chain assessments to preserve food safety, especially during periods of supply shortages, warned an LRQA representative, as reported by ESMagazine.

Exposed to risk

According to the global assurance partner, producers could face an increasing risk of food fraud if they do not take the right precautionary measures when selecting new suppliers.

Events like those in Ukraine, where the recent explosion of the Kakhovka dam flooded hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural land, are expected to have a significant impact on food supply, particularly on wheat, which has already reached a record price level in the past year.

As a result of this market turbulence, food producers may need to seek new suppliers, and LRQA warns companies to be very vigilant when doing so.

"Global food crisis"

"The current situation has been referred to as a global food crisis, and both the EU and the UN have issued warnings of 'serious risk'," commented Kimberly Coffin, Global Technical Director for Supply Chain Assurance at LRQA.

"For this reason, we must be vigilant against all forms of food fraud and urge all food producers to take the necessary protective measures to defend the integrity of the supply chain and protect consumers."

LRQA has urged businesses to ensure that international standards are maintained, and suppliers - including sources and/or origins - have been verified.

Integrity of the supply network

"Only when a food product brand can demonstrate the integrity of their supply network can they have confidence in the absence of adulterated food and the subsequent risks of mislabeling," added Coffin.

"Mislabeling of food can lead to regulatory sanctions and can have serious implications for consumer safety.

Given that the food industry has already faced so many challenges in recent years, some businesses could be devastated by a significant incident of food fraud, such as the horsemeat scandal in 2013.

"The food industry at every stage of the supply chain must remain vigilant in defending against food fraud."