We would like to thank our publisher, Jim Martin, first for liking our idea and then for his patience as we took our time to develop it. We are grateful to our editor Catherine Best for all of her improvements to the manuscript and to Anna MacDiarmid for keeping us organised in the final stages of publication. We would also like to thank the many people we have spoken to over the last two years who have provided us with information, shared their viewpoints and shaped our own thinking about food fraud. Finally, to the many people out there – from government analysts to forensic accountants – who are fighting the good fight and trying to keep one step ahead of the fraudsters, we are grateful for all that you do.
Richard’s acknowledgements
Chemists tend to write scientific papers rather than books but there are occasions when we need to express our thoughts and feelings on a subject in a different way. I will be forever indebted to Nicola for agreeing to work with me on this book – she has been absolutely amazing! The project has worked because we share a deep belief in proper food and a collective horror and indignation that anyone involved in supplying food to people would not want it to be genuine and high quality. She is generous in acknowledging me for the idea but this book would never have happened without her. I cannot thank her enough for her energy and creativity. She has been ‘the boss’ in this project and has to take all the credit for organising our publisher and polishing my final drafts. It was quite a jump for me from conventional scientific writing to a popular work – I’ve learnt a huge amount from her.
When I look back on my career I cannot thank my late parents enough for all the encouragement they gave me as a child to pursue my favourite interests. Parents often pass on critical skills, knowledge and views on life in less obvious ways. Boys in the 1960s weren’t supposed be interested in cooking but I vividly remember sitting in the kitchen transfixed by my mother putting together the meals for the family from raw ingredients. She was unwittingly simultaneously inspiring my interests in food and chemistry – for cooking is chemistry! My father passed on to me his engineering skills – much of the analytical chemistry I do is about instrumentation and engineering. They were also impeccably honest people, which is undoubtedly why the whole idea of food fraud really rankles me.
All the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were in place and so it’s no wonder that one day my research would begin to challenge food fraud. I was lucky to work with Barry Rossell on the Leatherhead Food Research Association maize oil adulteration project; he gave me vitally important insights into how the food industry worked. Our PhD student Simon Woodbury did exceptional work and in the end we could tell you whether the corn oil in your kitchen was corn oil! I would like to thank Tim Knowles for editorial work on early drafts and Ian Bull for checking all the structures. I also have to thank my darling wife Gosia for encouraging me to work on the book and reading my drafts – she said some of it was ‘quite interesting’ so I’m optimistic others might think it’s worth a read. Finally, I can only apologise to all my family and friends who have had to listen to me recounting endless food fraud tales and horror stories for the past couple of years.
Nicola’s acknowledgements
I would first like to thank my co-author Richard for having the idea to write this book and then for helping to see the idea through. I am grateful that he is skilled in making complex topics accessible, otherwise this endeavour would have been far more challenging. I am indebted to the Knight Science Journalism Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for awarding me a fellowship to indulge in a week of learning about the science of food. Thank you to my editors – Ian Glen (aka Dad), Jennifer Gruno, Shelby Temple, Marlayne Glen, Leslie-Ann Glen and Amanda Woodman-Hardy – for their insightful comments on earlier versions of some of the chapters. I would like to acknowledge Dr Tom E. Reimchen, who not only taught me to think critically but has also, over the years, engaged me in many discussions on the ethics of what we eat. To my community that has supported me in various ways throughout this process: Louise Slade, Sandra Banner, Linda Oglov, Steve Simpson, Alida Robey, Paola Spivach, Claire Matthews, Sally Miller, Chris Slade, Helen Roberts, Nick Roberts, Katie Martin and Jennifer Kingsley – thank you. You have been essential to my productivity and my sanity and I apologise for sharing all of my research with you – I hope you will one day forgive me and find the will to eat again. My sister, Jennifer Gruno, has always been an inspiration to me in her commitment to eating mindfully – thank you. I am eternally grateful to my mum, Valerie Tregillus, for thinking anything I write is wonderful (which it’s not) and for raising me on wholesome home-grown food. Though I may have complained about the dense brown bread sandwiches and straight-from-the-cow milk as a child, it set me up for a lifelong appreciation and understanding of good food. Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful to my supportive family. My husband, Shelby, and our son, Morgan, have been there when I needed them and have made themselves scarce when I didn’t. Thank you.