Verisio’s Post

Buy Australian safe food you get what you pay for

Food origin is sometimes not always what it seems. This investigation by the BBC found that tomato puree that was labelled as Italian actually contained tomatoes from China, and specifically from Xinjiang, where there are concerns about forced labour from Uyghur re-education camps. It also demonstrates how complicated and deceptive the supply chain can be. In order for the BBC to carry out this investigation, they engaged a company that specialises in analysing food’s trace elements to identify the country the tomatoes originated from. They also sent in an undercover reporter, who asked questions about the origin and obtained images of some of the barrels of paste, demonstrating their link to China. It is difficult for both food producers and consumers to identify slave labour in the supply chain, where suppliers may hide details about their products. Transparency is vital to ensure that food is produced ethically and sustainably. https://lnkd.in/e6KrwZJT #SupplyChain #Sustainability #FoodAndBev

Just announced, Source Certain supported the BBC World Service and its investigation into forced labour in the European tomato puree market. Our scientific testing shows it is very likely that Chinese tomatoes are being sold in top EU and UK retailers as "Italian". This problem is compounded as most Chinese tomatoes come from Xinjiang province, where their production is linked to forced labour by Uyghur and other largely Muslim minorities. Our part in the investigation was complemented by BBC's satellite, undercover and video evidence pointing to the same outcome. My top takeaways: ◎ Scrutinise what is on the packaging, and don't take it for face value. ◎ The bigger and more public the ESG claim is, the equally big the social licence risk becomes. ◎ Consider the true cost of low-price products – someone in the value chain is paying for it. Article: https://lnkd.in/dE4nY8zQ Video: https://lnkd.in/g2xepHVi Cameron Scadding Rachel Scadding Charlie Watkinson Charlie Arnot Kelly Leighton Jenna Valentin Ian Dadour Melinda Thompson Bronwyn Oerlemans Roger Young #sustainablesupplychains #forcedlabour #transparency #sustainablesourcing #originverification

https://lnkd.in/eFB72AYR An interesting piece of investigative journalism let down by what appears to be some less than robust laboratory testing. They appear to test against ONE reference sample of claimed Xinjiang tomato puree. Such a shame. Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis and trace elemental analysis are great techniques but require robust and immutable reference samples to draw sound conclusions. Testing against one reference sample can never be adequate to infer the test samples "match the profile of tomatoes grown in China". Do not let this poor application of testing put you off, these techniques are robust when correctly deployed. If you would like help with testing of tomato or tomato product please contact us. #origintesting #tomatofraud #tomatoorigin #foodforensics

It's a positive and remarkable move by the Biden administration to ban imports of seafood produced using forced labor (modern day slavery). The move for the US government to step in and enforce higher standards fills a gap that many may not realize even exists. Many consumers and purchasing managers look to certifications like Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Global Seafood Alliance (BAP) to make sure what they buy is sustainable. But may of us also wrongly assume that standards cover treatment of workers and labor practices. This isn't the first time the government stepped in to enforce standards that consumers expect, dating back decades to USDA creation of organic standards in the face of patchwork of more than 30 different "organic" certifications offered up by NGOs, state agencies and industry groups. https://lnkd.in/eiFkmgux

We called on seafood distributors and retailers to provide updates on their investigations into the potential exposure of their supply chains to forced labor involving Uyghur workers. Find out more about why this is necessary and how you can get involved: https://ow.ly/kjlF50SI3B2

We called on seafood distributors and retailers to provide updates on their investigations into the potential exposure of their supply chains to forced labor involving Uyghur workers. Find out more about why this is necessary and how you can get involved: https://ow.ly/kjlF50SI3B2

Pigs and pork can command our attention even as the wars on Israel's borders can be all-consuming. Pigs and pork relate to our work on understanding China and sharing our insights. One aspect of Chinese policy that has been under-discussed in Israel is China’s use of asymmetry. President Xi has specifically said that to deal with global challenges China must cultivate asymmetries with other nations. Israel should be paying attention. China looks for and finds gaps between itself and its partners. Perhaps one of the reasons China's leadership promotes this tool of statecraft is because China is skilled at capitalizing on these gaps for its advantage. Notably, the disparities are not necessarily due to China's size and power. Sometimes they are related to China's ability to understand and exploit systemic and institutional tensions. An intriguing example of this is the policy implemented by China towards the European Union regarding the export of pigs and pork (and its products) from Europe to China. During Angela Merkel's tenure as Chancellor of Germany, Merkel was the de facto leader of the European Union. The Union's relationship with Beijing under her was stable and beneficial to both sides. Among other things, China imported European meat and agricultural products to the growing Chinese market. In 2019, Ursula von der Leyen, who served in several positions in Merkel's government, was elected president of the European Commission. Von der Leyen's EU policies were more hawkish towards China on various fronts, including foreign, domestic, and economic policy. In response to the EU Commission President's tougher stance on China, Beijing made it much more difficult to import pork from the European Union. Exporting meat to China requires the signing of specific country-to-country protocols that verify that the exported meat complies with the Chinese health control rules. China reserves the right to suspend these protocols if there is concern about a health hazard to pigs in the exporting countries. During COVID, China suspended many such protocols between itself and EU countries for both health and political reasons related to Von der Leyen’s stance on China. The strength of the EU lies in its ability to formulate and implement unified policy. Early this year, China reauthorized pork imports from Ireland and Belgium, officially for health reasons. They join Spain, currently the leading exporter of pork and pork products to China. The policy change is undoubtedly related to these countries’ positive approaches towards China, including measures deviating from EU policy. China's selective pork import policies, backed by a market of 1.4 billion potential pork consumers, are indicative of Beijing’s ability to generate points of division within the EU. This, in turn, places the EU in an asymmetrical position vis a vis China. Photo credit : AFP

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has urged U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to investigate Chinese garlic growers under Section 301, citing forced labor and unfair trade practices. He also called for garlic to be added to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ list of products linked to forced or child labor. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5qPc2sw

#Duediligence Alert! Protests in Italy against tomato paste imports from China. Farmers allege that "90% of China's tomato paste for export comes from crops and factories in the Xinjiang region, where it is grown using forced labor by Uyghurs." However, it turns out that these Chinese imports are not headed for Italian dinner tables. Rather they are processed in Italy and then re-exported to third-countries as Italian product. This poses the question: have the shippers, processors, super-markets and other economic actors identified and disclosed the forced labour risk? The new EU Forced Labour Regulation will prohibit the import, export and sale of goods made using forced labour and companies would be advised to address this one fast. Livia Giuggioli Firth Dorothee Baumann-Pauly Michael Posner Rachel Cowburn-Walden Hernan Manson Martina Bozzola https://lnkd.in/d7rcQTRb