Food authenticity and traceability in the European Union

ALONSO-SALCES, R. M.; RENIERO, F.; GUILLOU, C.

Córdoba (Argentina)

Congreso; III Congreso Internacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos; 2009

Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Provincia de Córdoba

Food authenticity and food traceability is of great concern to the consumer, food processor, retailer and regulatory bodies. In the modern world, the increasing international trade of goods and consumer products poses a number of complex questions to the consumer protection policies. The complexity of the physical and chemical aspects related to these questions is such that the classical analytical methods generally applied are often unable to produce sufficient scientific data to enforce regulations. Particularly serious in this regard is the potential counterfeiting and adulteration of agricultural products and foodstuffs and unscrupulous operators who seek to circumvent the safety and quality standards and requirements set by national or EU regulations. Communication COM(93) 360 from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament established the European Office for Wine, Alcohol and Spirit Drinks (BEVABS: Bureau Européen des Vins, Alcools et Boissons Spiritueuses) at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) to combat major fraud in the wine, alcohol and spirit drinks area. The JRC plays a crucial role by managing the European Wine Databank on authentic European wines (as foreseen in EC Regulation No 2729/2000) and by coordinating the network of official Member States laboratories involved in the natural isotopic abundance determinations required for the databank. As the Reference Laboratory for these measurements, BEVABS has also a specific role for quality control, data validation and arbitration of disputes. In this framework, BEVABS has acquired a high degree of competence in integrating advanced spectroscopic techniques, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), multivariate data analysis and reference databanks of agro-food matrices in order to provide scientific data in support of European Policies concerning the origin of agricultural products. For instance, these spectroscopic techniques are being used to provide objective analytical tools for the characterization of protected foodstuffs such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG), and for the control and traceability of organic production methods. BEVABS plays a leading role in the development and validation of analytical methods applicable to the detection of fraud, control of authenticity and verification of the origin of agro-food products. Examples of its work includes its contributions to the official method for analysis of 13C in wine ethanol [EC Regulation No 440/2003]; the methods for the determination of 13C/12C ratio of CO2 in carbonated alcoholic drinks by GC-IRMS, the analysis of 2H/1H and 18O/16O ratios of ethanol from alcoholic beverages by IRMS, and the determination of the natural or synthetic origin of tartaric acid by IRMS; and the establishment of Certified Reference Materials for isotopic measurements of wines, alcohol and fruit juices. Moreover, BEVABS, together with partners of its network of Member States Customs Laboratories and by participating in several EU projects, has carried out research on the detection of adulteration of olive oil (MEDEO) and spreadable fats (SPREADS), the authentication of PDO olive oils (TRACE), the verification of the origin of farmed and wild fish (COFAWS), the determination of the botanical and geographical origin of coffee, and the verification of organic farming (check of authenticity/compliance with EC rules about the use of fertilizers).