Prof. Samuel Godefroy team has collaborated with the CIRANO and the CRIBIQ on a project (Canada wide) that aimed at better understanding the perceptions of agri-food stakeholders in Canada about food fraud and at documenting the practices they implemented to prevent fraud.
The study ran from September 2017 to May 2018 and used a 52-question online survey dedicated to agri-food companies in all sectors (producers, processors and retailers) and all provinces and territories in Canada. Prof. Samuel Godefroy’s team collaborated with CIRANO and CRIBIQ in writing the questions and the choices of answers that would provide sufficient information to answer the objectives of the project. The booklet reports the main points highlighted during the study and is available here. The results showed that food fraud definition was well understood by those involved in the Canadian food chain, while the regulations related to food fraud are less well-known. This study has helped to better understand which agrifood sectors are more concerned about food fraud and what measures are implemented to counter food fraud. In addition, the food fraud detection methods are very little understood or used by respondents. Finally, the study had pinpointed the reasons why some companies are struggling to do more than what is already in place. This study will provide important and new data for research and communication on food fraud and will help to better anticipate possible gaps in terms of fraud prevention in Canada.
