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The fraudulent practices that can occur tend to be around the mislabeling of products as organic when the production of them is anything but . Similarly , actual organic products could be diluted and watered down with non-organic alternatives , or even fake organic certification could be used on the packaging .
Not only are consumers tricked into paying higher prices for products that aren ’ t within the guidelines required to be labeled as organic , but it can also affect their trust in organic food . This can have a huge knock-on effect on the farming sector , as legitimate organic farmers cannot face up to the fraudulent competition , which can be a massive risk to their livelihood .
The connection with France and the rest of the globe
To understand how large the issue of food fraud is , we must look at its implications around the world and how the supply chain in the industry is affected . France is an example and has a key connection with America , as many products sold on our grocery store shelves are imported and sourced from international markets like Europe .
Because of the higher prices associated with organic products and their shipments overseas , there have been scandals around fraudulent foods being misrepresented as organic , making their way from countries like France to our shores .
The crackdown on food fraud in these countries can be seen in how those caught are being handled , such as a court in Marseille sentencing 15 people for their involvement in a network that allegedly sold meat from horses banned from the supply chain to butchers that may have been unfit for consumption . This comes as a result of traffickers of the animals , falsifying documents and passports to reintroduce the animals to the supply chain .
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