Food fraud is a huge problem. Every incident is a potential health hazard, especially affecting allergic and sensitive people. And , all of us are paying for foods from every food group that are adulterated.

Milk now includes whey, water,cane sugar,soybean oil, melamine and formaldehyde. Melamine causes kidney failure and formaldehyde causes cancer. I keep thinking about formaldehyde preserving frogs and brains, etc. in labs.

Virgin and other olive oil may include lower grades of oil, soybean, walnut, hazelnut,sunflower, sesame, cottonseed and corn oils. (See Mother Nature's Herbal to learn how to express virgin olive oil).

Seafood may contain other fish than labeled, especially less expensive fish. Puffer fish, often very toxic, may be substituted for monkfish; Asian catfish for grouper;tillapia for snapper or tuna, and roe for caviar.In one study, every sushi menu sold included mislabeled fish.

Honey may include high fructose and corn sweetener,sugar, corn syrup, and sucrose.

Saffron, costing thousands of dollars a pound ,may include Red 2G, and azo dye and suspected carcinogen; dyed onion;gypsum;pomegranite fiber, red pepper, tumeric, arnica annatto, calendula, marigold. Gypsum? I can dig that out of my yard !

Food fraud soars because the culprits are not being apprehended or adequately punished.The answer is to increase punishment and the risk of being caught. The F.D.A. wants to take supplements off the market and leave us to eat adulterated foods? We need more controls, better auditing of shipments, increased quality controls and full spectrum testing. I realize this requires more F.D.A. inspectors and food scientists. We need to immediately contact our local, state and federal politicians and  demand action now to safe guard our food and health tomorrow.

Sources include: Chemical and Engineering News: Marc Reisch, August 25 ,2014.