Food Fraud - Are you getting what you paid for?

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — There are all types of scams but have you ever heard of food fraud? Food fraud is when a company, restaurant or supplier gets you to pay for a higher priced food item and then replaces it with a cheaper product.

It’s a type of fraud costing U.S. consumers billions of dollars.

“It’s basically like selling drugs,” Larry Olmsted, author of Real Food – Fake Food, told WAND Investigates. “If you have a choice between trafficking in cocaine and fake fish, fake fish has high profit margins but very little risk. Usually, you’ll just pay a fine and get slapped on the wrist.”

Seafood fraud in the United States comes in several different forms. You order Red Snapper, a premium fish, in a restaurant. Instead, they serve you another white fish like an inexpensive Tilapia. Tilapia is frequently farmed in places like China which have looser health restrictions than U.S. fish providers.

Salmon is frequently swapped for a less expensive fish. People order wild caught Alaskan Salmon only to have it replaced with an inferior farm raised salmon. The farm raised fish is raised in large pens with hundreds of other fish and may have been treated with antibiotics. Wild caught salmon is a thinner cut and has a rich pink color. Farm raised salmon has to be treated to improve its color and appearance.

Shrimp supposedly caught off the coast of Florida is often faked for high profits. According to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, an industry trade group, shrimp may not have come from the gulf and can actually be caught and packaged in Asia.

Do you pay extra for 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)? Check the label. Is it sourced from just one country or many? Is there a pressed on or harvest date? The date the olives are harvested should be about two years before the expiration date. No harvest or expiration date? It may not be the 100% EVOO you are paying for.

Pure honey and maple syrup may have altered by cutting it with corn syrup, rice syrup or cane sugar. You pay a higher price and the bad guys pocket the difference.

Did you order Wagyu or Kobe beef? There’s a good chance you purchased a cheaper cut of meat and were fooled into believing you bought the higher priced beef.

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