The Food Authenticity Network announces further support

The Food Authenticity Network has announced further support, from the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), the professional membership body for food scientists and technologists.

Following on from last October’s announcement that McCormick & Company, Inc. had become the Network’s first industry supporter, this additional support from IFST highlights the food industry’s determination to tackle the ongoing problem of food fraud.

Jon Poole, Chief Executive Officer, IFST, said, “As an independent professional body we very much welcome and encourage this initiative – it is through this sort of networking and the sharing of evidence-based knowledge that we can ensure that the food industry is better equipped and informed to tackle food fraud.”

Selvarani Elahi, UK Deputy Government Chemist and Executive Director, Food Authenticity Network, said, “I am delighted that IFST has committed to supporting us as we have many shared values and a common vision of bringing people together globally to deter food fraud. The need for continuous and improved cross-sectorial cooperation to fight against food fraud was emphasised in a recent report of the European Council in which it adopted conclusions on further steps to improve ways of tackling and deterring fraudulent practices in the agro-food chain.

The Network is the only one of its kind in the world; it is an open access website bringing together global information on food authenticity testing, food fraud mitigation and food supply chain integrity in one convenient location, and it’s helping to raise standards world-wide so that ultimately,  consumers can have greater confidence in the food they buy.

The Network, led by LGC, a global leader in the life sciences sector - aims to become truly international and able to respond in a rapid, evidence-based manner to future food fraud incidents so that the impact on consumers and legitimate food businesses is minimised. In just over four years, it has grown significantly, with over 1,475 members from 67 different countries / territories, and over 12,000 unique users accessing the information on the Network’s website during 2019.