Terms and definitions

A collective term encompassing the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, manipulation or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, feed, food packaging or labelling, product information, or false or misleading claims made about a product for economic gain that could affect consumer health. [Fuente: GFSI Benchmarking Requirements V2024]

The fraudulent substitution or addition of a substance in a product for the purpose of increasing the product's apparent value or reducing its production cost, that is, to obtain an economic benefit. [Fuente: FDA]

A condition in which a product, ingredient, material, process or point in the supply chain is susceptible to food fraud, considering the combination of opportunity, motivation and the effectiveness of existing countermeasures.

A systematic and documented process for identifying and assessing vulnerabilities to food fraud, which considers the factors of opportunity, motivation and countermeasures for each product, ingredient, material or process within the defined scope.

The set of technical, logistical and supply chain factors that facilitate or hinder the commission of an act of food fraud. It includes aspects such as the availability of substitutes, the complexity of the supply chain, the ease of adulteration and the difficulty of detection.

The set of economic, contextual and situational factors that encourage or discourage the commission of an act of food fraud. It includes aspects such as the price differential, economic pressure in the sector, geopolitical conditions and the documented history of fraud.

The set of controls, procedures, tests and systems implemented by the organisation to prevent, detect or deter food fraud. It includes aspects such as analytical testing, supplier audits, traceability, certifications and the organisational culture of integrity.

A point, step or procedure at which a control can be applied and which is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce a significant vulnerability to food fraud to an acceptable level.

Note: the concept of a VCCP is analogous to that of a CCP in HACCP, but applied specifically to the context of food fraud.

A vulnerability whose overall vulnerability score (V) equals or exceeds the significance threshold defined by the organisation, or which meets the criteria established in the decision tree (see Appendix C), and which therefore requires specific mitigation measures to be established.

A document specifying the mitigation measures, verification procedures, responsibilities and records needed to manage the significant vulnerabilities identified in the vulnerability assessment.

The numerical value resulting from the quantitative assessment of a vulnerability, calculated using the formula V = (O × M) / C, where O is the opportunity score, M is the motivation score and C is the countermeasures score.

An action or activity designed to prevent, detect or reduce the likelihood or impact of an act of food fraud. Mitigation measures may be preventive (avoiding occurrence), detective (identifying when it occurs) or corrective (responding after it occurs).

Confirmation, through the provision of objective evidence, that the requirements specified in the food fraud mitigation plan have been met. [Fuente: adapted from ISO 22000:2018, 3.41]

Information gathered from internal and external sources (databases, sector alerts, scientific publications, incident reports, historical data) that enables the organisation to stay informed about the trends, recent cases and emerging threats of food fraud relevant to its products and supply chain.

The network of organisations and individuals involved in the various activities and processes that produce value in the form of products and services reaching the end consumer. In the context of this guide, it runs from raw material producers through to the point of sale to the consumer.

A multidisciplinary group of people designated by the organisation, with the competences and knowledge needed to carry out the food fraud vulnerability assessment and manage the mitigation plan.

An event or change that activates the need to review and, where appropriate, update the food fraud vulnerability assessment outside the scheduled periodic review.

The shared values, beliefs and norms within an organisation that influence behaviour and attitudes towards food fraud prevention, including management commitment, open communication and accountability.