How to Prevent Fraud in Vanilla Flavor

Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices on the market. It is an important flavoring in both the food and cosmetic industries. Additionally, conscious consumers are now also attracted to its health benefits. This has all generated massive international demand for the raw material, a demand that is growing. According to Future Market Insight, the global vanilla market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% over the forecast period 2018-2027[¹]. 

Vanilla production is adversely affected by a number of factors, for example climate change and long plantation periods. This has created the conditions for an illegal trade for vanilla, which has put manufacturers into a difficult position. In addition to the illegal trade, natural and synthetic vanillins are also available to the food and cosmetic industries at much lower prices than authentic vanilla. The undeclared substitution of the expensive vanilla flavor with cheaper alternatives has therefore become very profitable. How can food and cosmetic manufacturers protect the value of their products?

It has become critical for manufacturers to establish a proper monitoring system to beat global fraud. Manufacturers must implement a daily strategy to retrieve any information about potential frauds associated with vanilla flavor. Technology can help to overcome most of the common issues like language barriers and the time-consuming search for information. How? A horizon scanner can monitor globally relevant sources of news, giving findings about potential vanilla fraud in a country of particular interest. This technology can also translate local languages into English for all texts, allowing fast implementation of risk management strategies and corrective actions. SGS FoodNexus provides all these solutions and more: it summarizes in a comprehensive database all this information to perform food fraud surveillance. Wherever manufacturers are based, technology can support daily activities to prevent any frauds that might affect consumers or brands.