1088: Counterfeit Foods | Skeptical Sunday
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What is the main topic of this episode?
These criminals are not exactly Michelin star material. Joining me to take a bite out of food crime is writer and researcher Jessica Wynn.
Hey, Jordan. Can you believe counterfeiting food is a massive, multibillion-dollar industry?
I am a little skeptical about this Skeptical Sunday. As a man who goes out to eat a lot, we might be actually asking questions I don't really want the answers to.
That's the lawyer in you, but it won't make you feel better that everything we eat is susceptible to being counterfeited. So from basic staples like milk and bread to high-end products like truffles and aged bourbon, counterfeit foods are everywhere. Essentially, if you eat food, you're being lied to.
How big is the counterfeit food industry?
And lying to yourself, I guess. I like to think that I pay enough attention that I'm not getting scammed by my food, but I don't know. Here we go.
But you are. So am I. And so is everyone listening.
If your favorite cheese turns out to be a plastic imitation and your wine is a cheap knockoff, what's the real risk here? Beyond disappointment, of course.
Counterfeit food is a deliberate deception that can have no effect on us or enormous consequences. So it's really subjective. They can involve mislabeled ingredients. They can be outright fraudulent products, imitating brands or types of food, and in some cases pose serious health risks. Counterfeit food is like those fake Rolexes, but for your taste buds.
When I was in high school, I bought a bag of pot that turned out to be straight up oregano.
Yeah, I have news for you. Even that oregano is often counterfeited. But yeah, that was rough. Before it was legal, pot smokers inhaled a lot worse than oregano, I bet.
Yeah, it was definitely not the high I was looking for. I smelled great, though. My friend smelled great, though.
Yeah, when I was in college, let's just say my friend purchased what was most likely a bag of white paint chips and it burned.
What are the health risks of counterfeit foods?
Yeah, so did the oregano, from what I heard. Man, the trials of experimental youth and prohibition.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic of this episode?
1:40–2:20
2
How big is the counterfeit food industry?
2:20–3:33
3
What are the health risks of counterfeit foods?
3:33–4:39
4
Who is behind food counterfeiting?
4:39–5:58
5
How does the mafia get involved in food fraud?
5:58–9:13
6
What specific foods are commonly counterfeited?
9:13–12:13
7
How can consumers identify counterfeit products?
12:13–14:52
8
What measures are in place to combat food fraud?
14:52–55:09
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Jordan Harbinger Show
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