Marketing malpractice It involves misleading descriptions and high – pressure sales techniques and may also include an increasing number of sales via internet

Deceptive packaging It is the practice of selling goods in containers that far exceed the size of their contents – which may mislead consumers and which amounts to the sale of “fresh air”. Common examples are containers of vitamin pills that contain very few pills, cosmetics that are sold in double-skinned containers, and toys. Indications on labels may also be deceptive – recent concerns have surrounded claims that “goods are green” or “environmentally friendly”, which may have little basis. A further problem with deceptive packaging is that its disposal exacerbates environmental problems

Counterfeit goods The manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is said to be a major industry costing legitimate business over £1bn a year in the UK alone and it also leads to the loss of legitimate employment. There are major trades in audio and video tapes, computer software, designer goods and everyday products such as soap powder. Goods may be manufactured abroad or in “cottages industries” by largely illegitimate industries and sold in a variety of outlets. Counterfeiting is also a vehicle for laundering the proceeds of drugs money, and terrorists groups have also been said to be involved

Food offences Food offences involve fraud and and issues of safety and marketing malpractices – food adulteration is one of the oldest forms of food fraud. The rise of mass-produced convenience foods has also provided many opportunities for manufacturers to add value to basic ingredients by using a variety of additives and food substitutes of which consumers are often unaware, which amounts to “legalized adulteration”. The main offences involve the adulteration of food, the sale of “unfit food” and the sale of food “not of the nature, quality or substance demanded by the consumer” What is more improperly or illegally slaughtered meat also presents health risks over and above the spread of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)

Food frauds Illegal imports of meat The substitution of different and cheaper meats in meat products Contaminated cooking oil killed 259 Spanish consumers during the 1980’s and wine was also contaminated with anti-freeze.

Food labelling offence There has been much recent public discussion about the declaration, on labels, of the presence of genetically modified foods. Other concerns about food labelling have included the omission of food additives and the misleading nature of labels and pictorial images portraying farmyards and “natural” ingredients such as fruit on foods that are essentially “chemical cocktails” and contain few of the products indicated by descriptions. The labelling of diet foods has also been contentious, with many being little different from other products

Food poisoning Food safety also involves hygiene and the dangers of food poisoning, which have been said to have increased along with the spread of convenience foods, take-aways and precooked foods. By far the most serious case of food poisoning in Britain was the outbreak of E.coli in Wishaw in 1997, which lead to the deaths of 21 elderly victims. One butcher’s shop, which provided cooked meat for functions, to nursing homes and to a large number of local outlets, was found to be the source of contamination.