Michigan State's New Tool Takes On Food Fraud
By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online
Michigan State University offers an amazing array of food safety-focused undergraduate, graduate, and non-degreed certifications and educational prospects. The university’s latest tool is putting it on the leading edge in food safety and the fight against food fraud.
Michigan State University (MSU) is just one of a host of collegiate institutions with a food safety department. However, the wealth of invaluable information regularly coming out of this school is worth taking note; MSU even has an Online Master of Science in Food Safety. A person accredited by this program could be an immeasurable tool for educating your company’s department heads and accompanying workforce, it might even be worth your company’s while to explore the cost of offering tuition assistance to the program.
In doing so, be sure to factor in how one simple recall or FDA investigation could impact your business. Also consider how the fact you’ve got a department head with a Master’s in Food Safety Science could boost your business’ reputation and could offer solace when your company faces these dire situations.
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The newest tool MSU has designed is a single-resource document with links to articles, definitions, and videos featuring just about everything you could possibly want to know about food fraud. The Food Fraud Reference Sheet is available to the public and has information spanning everything from Scholarly Articles to Laws and Regulations, to Industry Reports to Media Highlights. All of the information is current and applicable for today’s business leaders. It is all relevant to the renewed focus on food safety by consumers, industry, the government, and the global food chain.
The program leader for the Food Fraud Initiative at MSU is John Spink, PhD. He is also an Assistant Professor for the Master’s Program working with the program's newly appointed Director, Dr. Melinda Wilkins. Dr. Spink has been a recurring speaker for many organizations including: the FDA, the FBI, the UK FERA, Interpol/Operation Opson (Food Crime), and the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA). He is an Advisor for the Brand Protection Project, and the Economic Adulteration of Food Project, both piloted by the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA). He is also a Member of the Food Fraud Think Tank for the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and on the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Expert Panels for Food Ingredient Intentional Adulteration & Drug, Dietary Supplements. Though his research focus may be food fraud, he has a broad basis of knowledge in all concepts regarding food safety.
MSU’s Doug Moyer writes about food fraud in his piece, It’s More Than Food Defense
Food Fraud is intentional, with the final outcome being economic gain. It is a much broader term than either the economically motivated adulteration of food (EMA) or food counterfeiting. According to the MSU Food Fraud Reference Sheet, “The motivation for Food Fraud is economic; the effect is often a public health threat and is always a public health vulnerability. Food Fraud includes: tax avoidance smuggling, expiration date fraud, and stolen goods or cargo theft.” Tampering, product misrepresentation, and false or misleading statements concerning a food product are also examples of food fraud.
In addition to the public resource documents, such as the Food Fraud Reference Sheet, MSU offers ongoing short courses and executive educational opportunities throughout the year. You can learn more about MSU’s continuing education opportunities here.