Food The action to anticipate food counterfeiting can be in the form of a food traceability system and proof of authenticity or food authentication.
Food fraud or food counterfeiting is an effort to deliberately replace, add, change or misrepresent a food ingredient and/or product, food packaging, and provide incorrect information on labels, for the purpose of deceiving consumers for economic gain.
Director of Processed Food Circulation Supervision, Food and Drug Supervisory Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BPOM RI), Dra. Ratna Irawati, Apt., M.Kes, conveyed this in a halal webinar with the theme "Food Fraud Prevention, from Distribution Permits to Halal Labels" organized by LPPOM MUI with PT Pamerindo Indonesia on September 21, 2021.
(Also read: Avoid Scams, Check Halal Logos and Distribution Permits on Packaging)
"Every food in circulation must be guaranteed the safety, quality and nutrition of the food. So it is important for business actors to have the ability to identify things involved in food processing," ratna continued.
Regulatory compliance and economic competitiveness are also important in the processed food industry. Therefore, anticipatory measures of food counterfeiting are necessary. This is in the form of a food traceability system and proof of authenticity or food authentication (food authentication).
Traceability
Traceability is the ability to track, trace, identify the movement of food at each stage of production, including the receipt of raw materials, processing, storage of finished products, distribution (importers, distributors), as well as retail.
The traceability system is recorded in Law Number 18 of 2012 concerning Food. Article 86, paragraph (2), states that everyone who produces and trades food must meet food safety and food quality standards.
"The availability of traceability information for a product can help fight or prevent food counterfeiting. The implementation can be done as simply as possible according to the ability of food business actors, or as sophisticated as possible," explained Ratna.
Authentication
Authentication is an action or process to prove the correctness or suitability of a food product. This ability is necessary to ensure that food is free from counterfeiting, especially with regard to the composition, properties and purity of the variety, geographical origin, as well as the method or technology of its manufacture.
"There are several methods developed in proving the authenticity of food, both based on monitoring or supervision, laboratory testing, and the use of technology. The effectiveness of proving its authenticity depends on the characteristics of each product," said Ratna.
Relation to Halal
Along with the development of technology, food testing in the laboratory is developing rapidly and dynamically. One of the analyses related to food authentication is the halalness of a product to ensure that there is no counterfeiting of halal products with illicit products. For example, the mixing of illicit ingredients in halal products and there is no contaminance of illicit ingredients into halal products.
Similar to food safety, to check the halalness of products, LPPOM MUI as a Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) also emphasizes the principles of traceability and authentication during the halal certification process. These two principles are further strengthened by the implementation of the Halal Assurance System (SJH).
SJH is implemented by the company to ensure that during the validity period of the halal certificate, the halal production process will be maintained continuously. This is done by requiring companies to develop and implement SJH in their companies. (YN)
