Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

The Meat of the Matter

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis

Half of inspected Dutch meat processing companies used sulphites illegally.

Food fraud, sausage
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne

Use of sulphites in food is tightly regulated in the Netherlands. “Vleesfraude” or meat fraud was committed by Dutch meat processors and butchers by adding large amounts of sulphites to ground beef, sausages and other processed meats in order to achieve the perfect “meaty” red color. Sulphites are classified as an allergen with mandatory labeling requirements, however, their use in meat is illegal in the first place. The affected products were pulled from the market and the companies were fined for fraud.

  1. Resource
    Fortune, A. (June 21, 2019). “Illegal sulphite use found in Dutch meat”. Global Meat News. Retrieved from https://www.globalmeatnews.com/Article/2019/06/21/Illegal-sulphite-use-found-in-Dutch-meat

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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis

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