Food fraud is the intentional misrepresentation of food products’ quality and/or content to consumers for financial gain, and this has become a major issue throughout the Caribbean. Instructively, the Caribbean is at risk for food fraud due to its significant reliance on food imports, its weak regulatory framework, and the informal character of many of its food markets. While there are studies on food fraud in the Global North, similar scholarship is limited in the Caribbean. As a result of the existing lacuna, this chapter explores the dimensions of food fraud in the Caribbean by highlighting specific case studies to illustrate the scope and impact of these deceptive practices. This chapter examines how regulatory and law enforcement agencies discover, stop, and prosecute incidents of food fraud, sheds light on the complex nature of food fraud as a crime, and goes beyond a simple economic or food safety perspective, by placing food fraud within the larger fields of criminology and criminal justice. The chapter will also explore the difficulties Caribbean organisations confront because of the intricate, international character of today’s food supply chains, while assessing the region’s current legal and regulatory frameworks’ ability to combat food fraud. The authors employ criminological theories to examine the underlying variables that contribute to food fraud in the Caribbean, such as regulatory gaps, sociocultural influences, and economic pressures that either encourage or discourage such behaviours. This chapter contributes useful information for stakeholders in the food business, law enforcement, and legislators who are dedicated to preserving the integrity of food systems, proposes recommendations and advances the academic conversation on food fraud in the Caribbean.

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Unmasking Deception: A Criminological Dive into Food Fraud in the Caribbean

  • Wendy-Ann P. Isaac,
  • Marquitta Webb

摘要

Food fraud is the intentional misrepresentation of food products’ quality and/or content to consumers for financial gain, and this has become a major issue throughout the Caribbean. Instructively, the Caribbean is at risk for food fraud due to its significant reliance on food imports, its weak regulatory framework, and the informal character of many of its food markets. While there are studies on food fraud in the Global North, similar scholarship is limited in the Caribbean. As a result of the existing lacuna, this chapter explores the dimensions of food fraud in the Caribbean by highlighting specific case studies to illustrate the scope and impact of these deceptive practices. This chapter examines how regulatory and law enforcement agencies discover, stop, and prosecute incidents of food fraud, sheds light on the complex nature of food fraud as a crime, and goes beyond a simple economic or food safety perspective, by placing food fraud within the larger fields of criminology and criminal justice. The chapter will also explore the difficulties Caribbean organisations confront because of the intricate, international character of today’s food supply chains, while assessing the region’s current legal and regulatory frameworks’ ability to combat food fraud. The authors employ criminological theories to examine the underlying variables that contribute to food fraud in the Caribbean, such as regulatory gaps, sociocultural influences, and economic pressures that either encourage or discourage such behaviours. This chapter contributes useful information for stakeholders in the food business, law enforcement, and legislators who are dedicated to preserving the integrity of food systems, proposes recommendations and advances the academic conversation on food fraud in the Caribbean.