Are you sure that expensive French chèvre actually comes from goat milk? How about the integrity of that high-priced, "extra virgin" olive oil? While most foodies would like to believe they can easily discern whether or not a high-end food item is what the label says it is, fraudulent food packaging is hardly new.
And it's not limited to gourmet ingredients, either.
An article in the Washington Post reported on so-called "food fraud," a phenomenon that seems to be amplified in this age of increased imports and fierce competition for your shrinking (i.e. recessionary) food dollar.
James Morehouse, senior partner at A.T. Kearney who studied food fraud for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said it can no longer be ignored:
"It's growing very rapidly, and there's more of it than you might think."
Here is a partial list of foods that were discovered to have been falsely labeled, often by large overseas wholesalers who defraud unsuspecting resellers in the US:
- "Sturgeon caviar" - Mississippi paddlefish eggs
- "Grouper, red snapper and flounder" - catfish
- "Sheep's milk cheese" - cow's milk cheese
- "Gallo Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir" - wine made from cheaper merlot and syrah grapes
One legitimate fear is that a falsely labeled food could cause actual harm to an unsuspecting consumer with a food allergy, in which case a Chicago diner might want to call an Illinois injury lawyer.
But short of that, there's not much the FDA can do on its limited budget. Bob Bauer, spokesman for both the National Honey Packers & Dealers Association and the North American Olive Oil Association, said as much at the FDA's first public food fraud meeting last year:
"If it's not going to hurt or kill someone, FDA's resources are limited enough that they can't take time to address it."
Both groups are hoping the FDA will set standards for honey and olive oil that will allow companies to sue competitors who fraudulently sell knock offs.
Related Resources:
- Fraud (LawBrain)
- Food Fight! Beware Fake Foods Thrown into the Market (FindLaw's Common Law Blog)
- High Wines and Misdemeanors Update: Drinker Files Class Action (FindLaw's Legally Weird Blog)
- Browse Chicago Injury Lawyers (FindLaw)
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