Deliberate tampering of foods (food adulteration, changes to originality and composition, etc.) for whatever purpose, be it for ensuring unfair business advantages in winning markets for economic gain, or unlawful tendencies that result in trespassing on legal binding standards, and crimes harming other human beings, are on the increase. The tendencies to either add or subtract food components, replace food ingredients with inferior ones, or label inferior food products with those of higher grade components, have become a serious problem and are affecting people in various ways almost everywhere.
In some cases, food adulteration has involved the deliberate introduction of harmful substances into foods (chemical and biological poisonous agents), where foodstuffs such as fruits, seafood, milk, dairy products, and water have been poisoned and therefore have directly affected the health of consumers either individually or as a large part of the community, causing disease and illness, abnormalities such as neurological impairment, allergies, and even death. There is a heavy penalty to be paid by criminals who cause food poisoning by food adulterations, as there are now laws that govern the quality of foods, together with standards, guidelines, and regulations that have to be adhered to by food producers, food processing industries, vendors, and food distributors.
This book covers different types of cases that encompass food forensics and food toxicology. The book also surveys different methods and techniques that are useful in providing the evidence required to be presented in food forensics cases. The book will be of relevance to colleges and universities where forensics science modules are being taught, or to academics who are involved in research activities in food forensics or food toxicology. The book may also be useful in food forensics laboratories, to researchers in food forensics, and government departments that deal with health and the general public at large.