Reputation threatened by counterfeits
NEW Zealand must remain alert to threats to this country’s reputation as an exporter of highquality honey, including manuka honey, University of Otago researcher Prof Russell Frew warns.
Prof Frew emphasises that maintaining our high reputation as a quality food producer is ‘‘critical’’ to our economic future’’.
‘‘Anybody who produces highquality goods needs to be alert,’’ Prof Frew, of the Otago chemistry department, said.
‘‘Where there’s a dollar to be made, there will probably be someone who’s trying [to make it],’’ he said.
‘‘Commodities that attract premium prices are subject to fraud such as adulteration or counterfeit,’’ he said.
This posed ‘‘serious health risks’’ because of the unknown origin of the counterfeit products.
Honey had been highly prized for many centuries, but there had also long been efforts to counterfeit it and adulterate it, including by adding sugar in various forms.
A stable isotope analysis technique had been used since the 1970s to detect added sugar in honey, and was still being used, he said.
Statistics New Zealand data shows that New Zealand honey exports were valued at $315.7 million for the first 10 months of last year, 28% up on the same period the previous year.
In that period honey exports to China more than doubled, to $80.1 million, and exports to the United States had also risen from $18.9 million to $50.1 million.
Prof Frew said that New Zealand was involved in an increasingly ‘‘high stakes’’ activity, as the value of exports rose, and we clearly had to guard against food counterfeiters.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) had key responsibilities to help protect the quality and integrity of our exports.
MPI was well aware of the food security challenges, and, in response, had recently updated regulations involving manuka honey.
Prof Frew directs the university’s Isotrace Research laboratory, which undertakes stable isotope testing of food products, including honey, for research, commercial and forensic purposes, and to detect any counterfeiting of products.
Isotrace was developing ‘‘analytical tools’’ to support the work of MPI and others who were responsible for enforcing regulations.
These tools ‘‘enable added components within the honey to be detected or distinguished from the natural counterpart’’, he said.
Prof Frew is also the lead country coordinator for big new international project, backed by the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency, and involving 19 Asia Pacific countries, including New Zealand and Australia.
This project is titled ‘‘Enhancing Food Safety and Supporting Regional Authentication of Foodstuffs through Implementation of Nuclear Techniques’’.
The Otago chemistry department was also supporting the plans to strengthen regional geochemical testing of the origin of food.
Late next month, the department would host 25 scientists and technicians from Asia Pacific developing countries for an intensive training event, as part of the project.
Prof Frew was particularly pleased to be helping developing countries to develop their ability to protect the quality of food exports.
The project aimed to raise awareness about the problems and possible technical solutions, and also sought to ‘‘harmonise methods and approaches’’ so data and information could be shared readily between countries, and aiding ‘‘rapid detection and enforcement’’, he said.
Key export markets had become increasingly aware of the ‘‘hugely important’’ need to trace the origins of food, and scientists have turned to regionally distinct isotopic geochemical signals in soils and rain.
These unique ‘‘fingerprints’’ enabled foodstuffs to be traced to their place of origin, he said.