DailyDirt: Food Forensics For Fighting Fraud

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The global food supply chain generally delivers products that are safe to drink and eat, but every so often there are some stories about unscrupulous distributors who try to sell knockoff items that aren't exactly what they say they are. The infamous 2008 scandal in China is probably the scariest example where melamine was added to infant formula to make it look like the milk had a higher protein content. Less dangerous tricks involve deceptive food labeling practices, and it can be extremely difficult to detect food fraud when it's not so egregious. Here are just a few links on identifying authentic foods. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
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Filed Under: artificial flavoring, authenticity, bottled water, c14, evoo, food, melamine, natural flavorings, olive oil, radioisotopes, tap water, vanilla, water


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2014 @ 5:13pm

    Taco Bell uses beef ..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    madasahatter (profile), 31 Jan 2014 @ 5:57pm

    Water

    Some bottled water says from municipal sources and it may be filtered.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    arcan, 31 Jan 2014 @ 6:53pm

    am i the only one who finds that 69% of the supposedly virgin oil being not virgin funny?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 31 Jan 2014 @ 7:15pm

    C'mmon, there is hardly any real food in your supermarket these days.

    You Big Mac is made of industrial waste, and tastes the same all over the world.

    So does Marlboro.

    Why? Because of chemical magic that comes from the very SAME production line of International Food and Fragrances in New Jersey.

    Memba Pink Slime?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    btrussell (profile), 1 Feb 2014 @ 6:29am

    So we just test for radiation to see if it is real or not?

    WTF did I do with my ambient radiation tester?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Feb 2014 @ 7:52am

    It's easy to market garbage just trademark the word organic or black angus ,then you can sell 100% black angus cardboard , or organic turd burgers with no risk, because the labeling Isn't lying.


    This is why we need labeling laws passed, Knowing Is half the battle
    {Insert The More You Know Jingle Here}

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rekrulk, 1 Feb 2014 @ 10:12am

    Olive oil from Italy might not be as virgin as you might think.

    So the dirty slut cheated on Popeye? I'll bet it was with Bluto!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    DB (profile), 1 Feb 2014 @ 8:37pm

    You mentioned "Angus Beef" (tm)

    That is purely a marketing name. There is an Angus breed, which came the Angus region, but that has little to do with the name. Pay the trademark holder money and you can use the name on just about any meat product.

    Several contaminated hamburger recalls involved products with name such as "American Chef’s Selection Angus Beef Patties" and "Range Fed Angus Beef Burgers".

    The big 2007 hamburger recall resulted in a USDA investigation, and FOIA requests by the New York Times revealed what those products are. If there is any Angus breed beef in the burgers, it's a coincidence. The 'America's Chef' product come from at least four different facilities. It was mostly 'retired' dairy cattle, with fat from trimmings of better cuts and ammonia treated carcass scrapings (pink slime). It took weeks to track down where the various sources for a single batch of hamburger.

    But back to the real point: if it says "Angus", it's probably the lowest grade meat product with a marketing spin.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      btrussell (profile), 7 Feb 2014 @ 2:39am

      Re:

      "Pay the trademark holder money and you can use the name on just about any meat product."

      I believe you because I have heard this from a butcher friend of mine, but it is not only bullshit, but cowshit as well! Where is the consumer protection in that?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Truffle Oil, 11 Jul 2014 @ 4:05am

    Truffle Oil

    Each description for oil is very good and describes its benefits but Truffle Butter. This is perfect plan for those ladies who wish to manage their health. You can use it in your foods.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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