These are the products most affected by food fraud

The "Food Imitation and Adulteration" event, organized by the Department of Food Engineering at the Near East University Faculty of Agriculture on June 7, World Food Safety Day, was attended by Agriculture Department Director Ercan Akerzurumlu, Chamber of Food Engineers President Beste Oymen, and numerous faculty members, researchers, and students.

Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof. Dr. Özge Özden and Agriculture Department Director Ercan Akerzurumlu delivered opening speeches, followed by presentations from Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Food Engineering faculty members Prof. Dr. Nevzat Artık and Dr. Şebnem Güler, as well as Adana Olive Production and Marketing Cooperative (ZEYKOOP) President Dr. Mehmet Güler. The event concluded with a Q&A session, where the presenting academics were presented with certificates of appreciation and cocoon crafts.

BEWARE OF OLIVE OIL, MILK, HONEY, SAFFRON, FISH, AND COFFEE

Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Food Engineering faculty member Prof. Dr. Nevzat Artık stated that 700 million people worldwide are affected by over 200 diseases caused by contaminated food each year, emphasizing that 40 percent of these cases involve children under the age of five.

According to data from the EU Food Fraud Network, misleading labeling ranks first in food fraud at 47 percent, said Prof. Dr. Nevzat Artık, adding, "The use of substitute products, dilution, or the addition or removal of products are among the most frequently used tricks at 20 percent. Incomplete, incorrect, or altered reporting and intellectual property rights violations account for a 17 percent share in food fraud."

Adana Olive Production and Marketing Cooperative (ZEYKOOP) President Dr. Mehmet Güler recalled that while approximately 1.7 million tons of olives were produced in Turkey in 2023, 216 thousand tons of olive oil were produced. Güler stated, "The lack of knowledge and technology, especially among small and medium-sized producers, increases costs in olive and olive oil production."

ADULTERATION IS MOST COMMON IN OLIVE OIL

Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Department of Food Engineering faculty member Dr. Şebnem Güler stated that olive oil is at the top of the list of products where imitation and adulteration are most common, at 24 percent. She emphasized that olive oil is followed by milk, honey, saffron, fish, and coffee.

Stating that adding refined vegetable oil mixtures such as rapeseed, sunflower, soy, cotton, corn, peanut, mustard, sesame, and poppy, as well as other plant-based oils like hazelnut oil and avocado oil, to extra virgin olive oil is one of the most common examples of adulteration, Dr. Şebnem Güler noted that the marketing of riviera-type oils and edible refined pomace oils under the name of extra virgin olive oil is also a serious problem.

"FOOD IMITATION AND ADULTERATION IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SITUATION"

Stating that food imitation and adulteration is a vital problem, Agriculture Department Director Ercan Akerzurumlu noted that they detected adulteration in 20 out of 70 samples collected from different regions during their inspections, adding, "We have imposed penal sanctions on producers who gain unfair profit and harm human health. We have also started working to perform all these analyses in our own country. We will achieve this in the coming days."

EMPHASIS ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Dean Prof. Dr. Özge Özden said, "As the Near East University Faculty of Agriculture, which houses the only Food Engineering Department in the TRNC, we continue to contribute to social awareness through events open to the public while placing food safety and sustainable agriculture practices at the center of our educational activities."

Özden stated, "Access to safe, healthy, and quality food has become increasingly difficult not only in our country but also in the world. In this context, sustainable agriculture, good agricultural practices, and the issue of food safety have gained even greater importance."

"FOOD SAFETY FROM FARM TO FORK"

Near East University Faculty of Agriculture Department Head Perihan Adun listed the steps that need to be taken to access safe food as follows:

"There are 5 calls to action for World Food Safety. 1st: Ensure that food is safe. For this, governments must provide safe and quality food for everyone.

The raw material part of food is very important. Good agricultural techniques should be applied in the cultivation of raw materials.

Apply good hygiene techniques during processing. Meet the necessary conditions during both storage and distribution so that food reaches the consumer safely.

In addition, consumers need to be conscious about the safety of the food they consume. Be conscious, consume your food consciously at home as well. We can summarize this concept as follows: Food safety from farm to fork.

Food safety can be jeopardized in every chain from farm to fork. There may be risks of disease and death. Therefore, all stakeholders involved in this chain have responsibilities in this regard and need to take action."