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Marketing malpractice
It involves misleading descriptions and high –
pressure sales techniques and may also
include an increasing number of sales via
internet
Deceptive packaging
It is the practice of selling goods in containers that far
exceed the size of their contents – which may mislead
consumers and which amounts to the sale of “fresh
air”. Common examples are containers of vitamin pills
that contain very few pills, cosmetics that are sold in
double-skinned containers, and toys.
Indications on labels may also be deceptive – recent
concerns have surrounded claims that “goods are
green” or “environmentally friendly”, which may have
little basis.
A further problem with deceptive packaging is that its
disposal exacerbates environmental problems
Counterfeit goods
The manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is said to be a
major industry costing legitimate business over £1bn a year in
the UK alone and it also leads to the loss of legitimate
employment. There are major trades in audio and video tapes,
computer software, designer goods and everyday products
such as soap powder. Goods may be manufactured abroad or
in “cottages industries” by largely illegitimate industries and
sold in a variety of outlets.
Counterfeiting is also a vehicle for laundering the proceeds of
drugs money, and terrorists groups have also been said to be
involved
Food offences
Food offences involve fraud and and issues of safety and
marketing malpractices – food adulteration is one of the
oldest forms of food fraud. The rise of mass-produced
convenience foods has also provided many opportunities for
manufacturers to add value to basic ingredients by using a
variety of additives and food substitutes of which consumers
are often unaware, which amounts to “legalized
adulteration”. The main offences involve the adulteration of
food, the sale of “unfit food” and the sale of food “not of the
nature, quality or substance demanded by the consumer”
What is more improperly or illegally slaughtered meat also
presents health risks over and above the spread of BSE
(bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
Food frauds
Illegal
imports of meat
The substitution of different and cheaper
meats in meat products
Contaminated cooking oil killed 259
Spanish consumers during the 1980’s and
wine was also contaminated with anti-freeze.
Food labelling offence
There has been much recent public discussion about
the declaration, on labels, of the presence of
genetically modified foods. Other concerns about
food labelling have included the omission of food
additives and the misleading nature of labels and
pictorial images portraying farmyards and “natural”
ingredients such as fruit on foods that are essentially
“chemical cocktails” and contain few of the products
indicated by descriptions.
The labelling of diet foods has also been contentious,
with many being little different from other products
Food poisoning
Food safety also involves hygiene and the dangers of
food poisoning, which have been said to have
increased along with the spread of convenience
foods, take-aways and precooked foods.
By far the most serious case of food poisoning in
Britain was the outbreak of E.coli in Wishaw in
1997, which lead to the deaths of 21 elderly victims.
One butcher’s shop, which provided cooked meat for
functions, to nursing homes and to a large number of
local outlets, was found to be the source of
contamination.