A stakeholder assessment of the food fraud vulnerability of the South African meat sector : a case study of the Tshwane metropolitan area

Abstract

Occurrences of food fraud have highlighted the importance of understanding the vulnerability of food chains to fraud and so be able to improve companies’ ability to reduce fraud within their own institutions and throughout their supply chain. “The food industry is generally vulnerable to crime and the meat industry is mentioned as one of the most vulnerable. The South African meat industry is experiencing its own crisis, as scientists have, for instance, found beef products that contain buffalo, donkey, pig, or goat meat, which is not on the labels on local products, as well as chicken products that contain pork. While a growing number of academics and scientists have begun to research the food fraud issue in Africa, experts say the lack of policing and enforcement is contributing to massive food fraud in South Africa, which thrives because of weaknesses in systems that stem from poor reinforcing and policing. To contribute towards some practical and scientific knowledge to combat the problem of food fraud, the purpose of this study is to assess the food fraud vulnerability factors in South Africa in the Tshwane metropolitan area. The research purpose outlined was explored to address and inform discussions on the study objectives, regarding a) determining the extent of food fraud vulnerability in South Africa (Tshwane metropolitan area); b) determining the key opportunities for food fraud vulnerability in Tshwane metropolitan area; c) determining the key motivations for food fraud vulnerability in Tshwane metropolitan area ; and d) determining the key control measures for food fraud vulnerability in Tshwane metropolitan area.

The objectives set out for this research were measured quantitatively by utilising a single cross-sectional approach, guided by the positivist paradigm. In keeping with the dictates of ensuring the highest levels of reliability and validity, measurement items developed from the SSAFE food fraud vulnerability assessment tool were adopted. This was to help assess issues relating to food fraud in the meat and meat products sector, which flows from

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production to the end user as the consumer, although this tool is relatively related to the supplier. The tool comprises indicators categorised as opportunities, motivations, and control measures to gain an insight into the food fraud vulnerabilities factors related to meat and meat products within the South African context. The study area covered Pretoria, which is in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Pretoria, also known as the City of Tshwane, is located around 50 km north of Johannesburg in the northeast of South Africa. Since it was difficult in this study to obtain an accurate database on the meat consumers and food specialists around Pretoria, the acquisition of the actual population size was rendered problematic. Resultantly, it was difficult to group together a sample that is representative of the larger population. For this reason, and since data was collected during the period controlled by COVID-19 movement restrictions, the sample was based on the availability of respondents. In total, 100 participants were surveyed (80 for meat consumers and 20 for food specialists). Given the time and financial restrictions, the sample for meat customers was simply chosen from butcheries within a 20-kilometer radius of Pretoria’s Central Business District. Food experts, on the other hand, were specifically chosen for their knowledge of food fraud vulnerability issues.

Various factors that exacerbate food fraud vulnerability opportunities in South Africa were identified, which include wide availability of technology and knowledge for adulterating raw materials and final products; low fraud detectability in raw materials and raw materials; inadequate access by external parties to production lines/processing activities in food production; lack of transparency in the food chain network of meat and meat products; and inadequate historical evidence of fraud in raw materials for meat and meat products. On the other hand, the findings showed that the majority of respondents were of the opinion that the opportunities for food fraud vulnerability related to meat and meat products were characterised by: inadequate economic health maintenance (healthcare) initiatives to determine food fraud in meat and meat products; lack of investment in valuable components to detect food fraud in meat and meat products; inadequate supply and pricing raw materials features (freshness, cuts, origin & composition) of meat and meat products; and inadequate enforcement of criminal offenses on internal individuals involved in food fraud events related to meat and meat products. Lastly, the results raised significant concern about the functioning of the meat supply chain in the country, as it established that insufficient control measures were available to guard against food fraud vulnerability within the supply chain. Specifically, the findings revealed inadequate fraud monitoring systems of and on raw materials of meat and meat products to fight food fraud, inadequate tracking and tracing food systems within companies to control

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food fraud for meat and meat products, and insufficient integrity screening on own employees to control food fraud for meat and meat products.”