The wholesale price of vanilla pods has escalated nearly 500% over the past four and a half years, due to severe weather conditions affecting quality and availability – making vanilla the second-most expensive spice after saffron, and worth more per kilogram than silver.
Four men have been found guilty of falsely labeling horsemeat as beef. The convictions stem from a Europe-wide scandal in 2013 in which the meat was used in frozen lasagna and other industrial food products.
From adulterated olive oil to counterfeit vodka, the trade in fake food is booming – and for mafia gangs it's less risky than drugs. Olive oil is the product most at risk of food fraud, and the rewards for adulteration of it are substantial....
Olive oil fraud is a problem the world over, including South Africa. A new book, Extra Virginity: the Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, the author, Tom Mueller, an American who lives in Italy, lays bare the workings of an industry that...