10 Foods That Are Often Fake (Some Of Them We Use Every Day)

Counterfeiting of food products is a very profitable niche. In the United States alone, the turnover of the illegitimate products business exceeds 650 billion dollars a year. So even the most common food can be counterfeited, and the packaging can contain an unpleasant surprise.

However, in most cases it is not difficult to detect a fake. we from awesome.club We have prepared a list of products that are most often counterfeited and how to identify them. We hope this helps you to buy only genuine products!

Green peas are not always what they seem as they can also be faked. The fake ones are a mixture of soy, peas of the pie variety, dyes and sodium metabisulfite. The latter, by the way, is banned in many countries due to the high risk of developing cancer and possible metabolic disorders.

How to avoid buying a fake?

Buy peas from well-known producers that indicate the region of origin of the product. A very strong and unnatural color suggests that during production some dye was added.

Our life will never be the same: what we know as cinnamon was actually cassia. Cassia is an inexpensive analogue of the famous spice, it is sold everywhere under the guise of cinnamon, it has a different odor and, most importantly, it is dangerous for health (the aromatic compounds contained in it can cause migraines). Authentic cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of several species of trees in the genus Cinnamomum, which grows only in Sri Lanka and western India. Cassia, in turn, is extracted from the bark of trees that grow in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

How to avoid buying a fake?

In most cases, the container containing “authentic” cinnamon is labeled Cinnamomum verum. The one containing cassia is labeled Cinnamomum aromaticum. The “original” cinnamon is very fragile, has a light color and in the cut looks like a thin-leaf papyrus roll. Cassia, on the other hand, is a very hard tube, made of bright brown bark.

The nonprofit Consumer Rights Center in the United States conducted a study of some products that, according to the producers’ statement, contained blueberries. The conclusions were disappointing: in most products there was no trace of them. The berry was replaced by a mixture of starch, hydrogenated oil, coloring and flavoring. The large number of fakes is explained by the fact that, lately, blueberries are considered a real superfood and the demand is higher than ever.

How to avoid buying a fake?

Read the composition. The presence of indigo carmine dyes (E132) in the ingredients list indicates that it is very likely that there is no blueberry in the product.

Mineral water is a unique product. Its production and bottling process is not subject to any treatment and is bottled directly from the source. Thanks to this, its healing properties are preserved. But this uniqueness encourages rogue manufacturers to fake it.

Fake mineral water is a mixture of tap water, iodine and salt. Its consumption can cause health problems due to lack of quality control.

How to avoid buying a fake?

In the ideal bottle of mineral water, the source of its origin is indicated and the precise indications for its administration and application are provided (gastritis, kidney diseases, etc.). Make sure the label is glued on correctly, the lettering on it is legible and clear, and the lid is securely closed.

Some whipped cream makers are so resourceful that they don’t use cream in the production of this product. In 1966, American chemist William Mitchell invented a substitute for whipped cream, which was made up of coconut oil, corn syrup, natural flavoring, and thickeners. It still contains milk, but its content is very low. Of course, this type of whipped cream has its advantages: it doesn’t break, looks great, and is easy to handle for a novice cook. But real culinary experts spot the fraud right away.

How to avoid buying a fake🇧🇷

On the label of a traditional whipped cream pressure container, the word “cream” should appear on the first line, not “vegetable fats” or “sugar”. Manufacturers of fake whipped cream often resort to cunning, putting an image of the cream on the container, but on the product label they only indicate “dairy products”, “whipped cream”. Pay attention to the words, here they really make a difference.

The scallop is a bivalve mollusk and an incredibly expensive delicacy, but very few people know what it really looks like. Gourmets are exposed to fraud by dishonest sellers who substitute fish, stingray meat, seahorse and even shark meat for scallops. Sometimes, instead of a scallop in restaurants, they serve salads with white fungus.

How to avoid buying a fake🇧🇷

A 100% authentic scallop is served in shells. It is impossible to replace or falsify them. Frozen scallops should be pale pink or beige.

Caviar is a true “champion” of fakes. Dishonest manufacturers imitate a wide variety of fish roe. For example, flying fish roe (tobiko) is substituted for capelin roe, and pike roe is often disguised as the expensive black caviar. In addition, experts point out that it is not easy to distinguish the flavors of fake caviar and real caviar. A third of the caviar sold in Europe is counterfeit.

Among all caviars, red has the most prominence as it is counterfeited most often. The fake version is a mixture of gelatin, fish stock, vegetable oil and dyes. In store windows you can find a substitute for red caviar, made from seaweed. However, its cost is so low that it is very difficult to mistake it for the real thing.

How to avoid buying a fake🇧🇷

Black caviar is not uniform: all roe are different sizes. The roe of the flying fish, the famous tobiko, is a little larger than the capelin roe. If red caviar sticks to your teeth, doesn’t explode in your mouth, and has a strong fishy smell, it is unfortunately counterfeit.

Most manufacturers don’t like to throw anything in the trash, because the more waste, the more waste and the more damage. So chemists invented something called transglutaminase: in other words, glue for meat. With the help of ingenuity and transglutaminase, a hundred leftover meat becomes a very tender piece or even a steak.

However, the use of transglutaminase is far from harmless. Although it is a completely organic component (produced by the human body and animals), its abusive use can cause allergies, eating disorders and celiac disease, which is autoimmune and causes a deficiency in the absorption of fats, vitamins, iron and calcium.

How to avoid buying a fake?

Acquire meat and meat products from known producers. Avoid using pre-cooked products and processed foods. Glued meat can be easily distinguished by unnatural joining lines between the pieces.

In the 21st century, hamburgers are no longer just ground beef. Currently, the most important companies are working on creating substitutes for conventional meat. So in 2016, Impossible Foods introduced a beef substitute based on genetically modified yeast, textured wheat and potato starch. It is very difficult to distinguish this “manufactured” meat from natural meat, and even more difficult if it is a ready-made hamburger. In addition, hamburgers are often made from soybeans and other legumes so that they appear richer than the real thing to consumers.

How to avoid buying a fake?

The answer is a bit obvious: make hamburgers at home and avoid fast food🇧🇷

Natural smoking is a long and slow process. For this reason, manufacturers are increasingly using “liquid smoke”. We should keep in mind that smoked products are not beneficial for health (it doesn’t matter how it was smoked) and we should try to consume them no more than a few times a month.

Researchers have yet to find convincing evidence of the harmful properties of “liquid smoke”, but defective substitutes and overdoses of this product during smoking can cause poisoning.

How to avoid buying a fake?

The smoked meat or fish must be dry. The color of the entire surface should be smooth and smooth, with no dark spots or imperfections.

How often do you come across counterfeit products? Or maybe you’ve found a way to avoid buying fake foods and know exactly how to distinguish between natural and modified products? Share your experience in the comments.