Protecting the international food supply chain from fraud

Global trade has both brought significant benefits to reducing hunger around the world, but it has also increased the complexity of the food supply chain. This complexity is a strong enabler for food fraud. The more links across the supply chain and the longer the distance between where food is originally grown or produced and finally consumed provides opportunities for fraudsters to act for their benefit. The role of the WTO is fundamental in helping to reduce fraud. The WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) sit at the heart of global trade in food and help, along with other international agreements, standards and enforcement bodies, strengthen our global food supply while reducing cross-border food fraud activity. This chapter argues that it is very important for all stakeholders of the food system to work together to keep the system resilient and safe from fraudulent activity, with the final responsibility for keeping consumers safe ultimately resting with the food producer.