An Italian investigation of retailers selling global foods uncovered the organized illegal sale of foods imported from China, some of which had been falsely sold as plant-based snacks when they contained ingredients of animal origin. Tests also revealed undeclared allergens, the presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, and prohibited species. The findings prompted national authorities to launch a coordinated national inspection campaign.
The investigation was detailed in a new article published in the Italian Journal of Food Safety, in which researchers from the Naples Local Health Authority and the University of Naples examined how prohibited foods may circumvent EU controls for products imported from third countries.
EU legislation specifies the third countries, territories, regions, and establishments authorized to export certain animals and foods of animal origin to the EU….
PAYROLL & HR CONTROLS (PREVENTING “GHOST” SCHEMES)
Payroll fraud is often the hardest to detect because it “looks” like a normal business expense.
- Segregation of Duties (SoD): The person who adds new employees to the system must not be the same person who approves the monthly pay run.
- Mandatory Vacation Policy: Require all financial and HR staff to take 5–10 consecutive days of leave annually. Fraud often surfaces when the perpetrator isn’t there to “hide” the trail.
- Ghost Employee Audit: Perform a quarterly “Headcount Reconciliation” where managers must physically verify every name on their payroll list exists.
- Self-Pay Blocking: Ensure the payroll software has a hard-coded block preventing administrators from editing their own salary or bank details.