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Add to Preferred SourcesThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a five-year research project with experts from 16 countries to refine methods to apply nuclear-derived techniques to test for accuracy in food labels.
The outcome of the project carried out in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will assist countries in combatting fraud in high-value food products, such as premium honey, coffee and speciality rice varieties.
“Numerous foods are sold at premium prices because of specific production methods, or geographical origins,” said project coordinator and IAEA food safety specialist Simon Kelly. “In order to protect consumers from fraud, and potential unintended food safety issues, we need standardized methods to confirm that the product has the characteristics that are claimed on the label.”
The project will help countries apply stable isotope techniques to protect and promote foods with added-value, such as organic food or products with specific geographical origins like Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. The method works by looking at the ratio of stable isotopes in elements – such as hydrogen, oxygen and carbon – and the concentration of elements in a sample of the product. These can provide a unique fingerprint that links a crop to the place where it is cultivated.
“DNA will tell your parentage but not where you were brought up, whereas the isotopes the food product has absorbed from the environment reflect where they grow,” said Russell Frew, professor of chemistry at the University of Otago in New Zealand and one of the experts taking part in the project.
Fraud is a growing problem in the food industry, affecting countries globally and hurting exports. The research project will help developing countries increase compliance with regulatory requirements, thus facilitating trade.
The IAEA, jointly with the FAO, helps its Member States use nuclear and related techniques for science-based solutions to improve food safety and security and sustainable agricultural practices.
Original source: FAO
Published on 22 May 2019