Food fraud has made headlines recently after an investigation by ABC program Four Corners found the issue is rampant in major supermarket aisles in Australia.
Food fraud includes substituting cheap ingredients, altering expiry dates, falsifying geographic origins, and diluting premium goods.
While the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is investigating further, in the meantime the best way to avoid food fraud is to shop at your local farmers’ market where you can trust that the food you are buying is not only authentically Australian but also locally grown.
Byron Farmers Market manager Tom Carey says that the market has strict guidelines about provenance, which includes an independent audit of every stallholder at the market.
‘Every member that joins the market is audited when they apply and agrees to trade by these terms, which includes an on-farm visit by an independent auditor and ongoing audits every couple of years.
‘This provides our customers (and fellow market members) assurance that the produce they are buying at our markets is genuinely grown or made by the stall selling it.’
The Four Corners investigation found that many supermarket tomato products labelled Australian or Italian in fact contained tomatoes from China. It also found adulteration in turmeric products, including lead-based yellow pigment used in paints and plastics.
The products tested were bought from Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores as well as a number of independent retailers. And the misleading claims also extended to other products including meat, honey, seafood and alcohol.
‘It’s really alarming and makes you question the integrity of the supermarket food supply system,’ says Tom. ‘It also highlights how important it is to have stringent auditing policies to protect consumers.
‘We really hang our hat on our integrity at Byron and Bangalow Farmers Markets and we want people to know that when they are shopping at our markets they are getting the real deal – genuinely locally grown and produced food. You won’t find any food fraud here.’
Byron Farmers Market is held every Thursday, from 7am to 11am at Butler St Reserve. Bangalow Farmers Market is every Saturday from 7am to 11am in Piccabeen Park.
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