Summary: One of the biggest food safety issues right now involves the deliberate adulteration of food with biological or chemical agents.Counterfeit food is a serious international problem. One of the biggest food safety issues right now involves the deliberate adulteration of food with biological or chemical agents. Economically motivated adulteration (EMA), is not aimed to harm people but to inflate profits by fraudulent means. EMA events cost the food industry between $10 billion and $15 billion a year. What exactly is EMA? Cheap products are presented as branded or top-quality ones, or cheaper ingredients are added to genuine products to increase profit margins. Mislabeling is another issue. Over 50 percent of pomegranate juices do not contain the advertised ingredients. Shaun Kennedy, former director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense at the University of Minnesota, estimates that 10 percent of food that consumers buy in the developed world has been adulterated. Whenever there is food tampering, there are potential risks to health. Kennedy joins Melanie Cole to explain what's happening with our food system. He also shares the top food most subject to food fraud and how to protect yourself.
