(LRQA: London) -- Manufacturers could be at growing risk of food fraud if they do not take the correct precautions when selecting new suppliers, according to global food safety assurance specialist LRQA.

With the pandemic, Brexit, and the war in Ukraine continuing to have a major impact on supply of raw materials, many manufacturers have had to change suppliers in recent months in a bid to meet consumer demand. As a result, there are growing concerns that food fraud opportunists may strike, particularly if new suppliers are not vetted to the appropriate standards.

Sunflower oil and wheat are among the products facing increased global shortages, with manufacturers considering alternative ingredients, such as palm oil.  The shortage has caused the price of sunflower oil to skyrocket from $685 in 2020 to $1,665 in March this year, the highest price ever for the commodity. While wheat prices are still not at the levels of their all-time high in 2008, Ukraine—the world’s sixth-largest wheat exporter—is predicted to produce less than 50 percent of its most recent pre-war harvests.

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