Food fraud detection is target of GMA and Battelle software
GMA said it joined with Battelle, a non-profit R&D organization, to develop a way of prioritizing the risks to specific commodity supply chains, so that decision makers can best apply resources to the vulnerabilities of greatest importance and allow for prioritization of mitigation efforts associated with EMA threats.
Alternative strategies include identifying suppliers from a more favorable region of the world or investing in research to develop identity tests for targeted commodities.
The tool provides a numerical risk rating of EMA, current and future threats with a database of past incidents and will be updated.
Meeting FSMA rule
EMAlert provides manufacturers with a resource to assist meeting requirements of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule.
Compliance dates for some businesses begin in September and requires facilities to establish and implement a food safety system that includes an evaluation of hazards that may be introduced for economic gain.
EMAlert gives a quantitative estimate of an organization’s vulnerability to EMA for each commodity included in the analysis based on a combination of characteristic attributes of each commodity and subject matter expert (SME) opinion as to how important those attributes are when predicting which commodities are more likely to be adulterated for economic reasons.
“EMA vulnerabilities generally occur at the commodity level. Company specific vulnerabilities depend on their specific supply chain. Past examples have included adulteration of ground beef with horse meat, adulteration of cumin with ground peanut shells and adulteration of honey with high fructose corn syrup,” said Shannon Cooksey, VP of science policy & regulatory affairs for GMA.
“Understanding the behavior of fraudsters is an important part of estimating the vulnerability of EMA to the supply chain. The behavioral model translates the factors involved in fraudster decision making (the attributes) and the SME-based importance of the attributes into meaningful mathematical structures for calculation and analysis.”
The tool is aimed at food and grocery manufacturers with moderate to large supply chains. A standard subscription costs $2,500 annually per user with bulk discounts available.
Recognising and tackling EMA
EMAlert was developed over four months but GMA said it recognized the need for such a tool (which can be found here) and began working with industry in 2014.
It was developed with guidance from a steering group of food industry, academia and research professionals.
When asked about other systems, such as the SSAFE and PWC one, Cooksey said EMAlert is the only tool that provides quantitative assessment of EMA vulnerabilities.
“Also, SSAFE requires a user to update 50 responses per commodity, whereas EMAlert requires the users to answer 12 questions which then gives the vulnerabilities for the entire commodity list based on live data updates.”
Joseph Scimeca, VP of global regulatory and scientific affairs at Cargill, said manufacturers place great value on the consumer's trust in their brands.
“An issue that compromises the integrity of the food supply chain cannot only lose consumer trust and induce fear amongst the general public, it can represent a threat to public health,” he said.
“Being able to rapidly assess and understand EMA vulnerabilities so that mitigation actions can be prioritized and pursued is essential to protecting both public health and brand reputation."
GMA is a trade organization representing food, beverage and consumer products companies and associated partners.
