Together with the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL), the screening system ISAR (Import Screening for the Anticipation of food Risks) was developed.
ISAR helps identify health risks and potential fraud in food products as early as possible, based on automated analysis of food import data. The system has been in use at the LGL since 2016. One key background factor: crop failures or shifts in demand can lead to significant price fluctuations in food products. This may create incentives for fraud - such as replacing high-quality ingredients with cheaper substitutes without declaring the change. Such practices can pose health risks for consumers. Changes in the origin of products may also increase risks, especially when they come from regions with high environmental pollution or low hygiene standards.
As part of a multi-year cooperation with the LGL, ISAR is currently being further developed both methodologically and as a software tool. Since 2021, it has also been undergoing practical testing as part of official food monitoring activities in the German federal states, at the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, and at the National Reference Centre for Authentic Food. From the perspective of the European Commission, ISAR shows strong potential for planning systematic inspections to detect food fraud.
StaBLab: Simon Wiegrebe, Mona Niethammer
Project partners: Beyza Ülker Celik, Dr. Britta Müller (Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority)