Feed Authentication as an Essential Component of Food Safety and Control

Abstract

The protracted outbreak of mad-cow disease, repeated episodes of dioxin and mycotoxin contamination, and the issue of labelling genetically modified foods have severely shaken public confidence in the food supply industry, increasing consumer concerns about the origins of the raw materials used in both animal feed and food products. The need to develop improved techniques to characterize feed and food components has consequently become more urgent, and DNA-based technologies promise to be able to meet these needs. DNA methods can establish the origin of species in meat- and fish-based products and feed ingredients, and are the most reliable analytical approaches for authenticating processed foodstuffs. The identification of ingredients in processed feed and food is mandatory not only to ensure correct labelling and assessment of value, but also to avoid health risks related to the presence of toxic contaminants or pathogenic agents.

Universal DNA-Based Methods for Assessing the Diet of Grazing Livestock and Wildlife from Feces

“…Several factors such as recent food scares (e.g., bovine spongiform encephalopathy or avian flu), the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) for feeding livestock, or religious reasons have reinforced public awareness regarding the origin of food products , . This results in increased consumer demand for strict specifications on animal breeding that can be guaranteed by quality labels.…”