FALCON POWERS – Amidst the high cost of living and financial difficulties for families in Sweden, food fraud has spread widely in many products and foods sold in Sweden, such as the use of horse meat in kebabs, the prevalence of diluted olive oil, spoiled eggs and vegetables, and the changing of expiration dates on cheeses, meats, and various food items.
Therefore, Swedish investigator Eva Lotta Hedin proposed the establishment of a food fraud control unit whose job would be to combat fraud in the food trade and industry. She added: “Specialized units can be relied upon that include police officers, journalists, accountants, and food experts to monitor food fraud.”
Swedish investigator Eva Lotta Hedin also proposed “expanding opportunities for information exchange between Swedish institutions specialized in the food sector, as the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the Chemicals Inspectorate, and the Food Administration share a joint responsibility for the food fraud monitoring unit.”
Among the suggestions is also imposing special fines against food fraud that can reach the revocation of licenses and fines of up to 50 million Swedish krona, to serve as a strong deterrent for fraudsters. The proposal comes amid the increasing cases of food fraud in Sweden in recent years.
