Food fraud on the example of vanilla flavor – how can we fight best?

Vanilla is one of the most popular and with a price of 500 USD/kg most expensive spices. The characteristic compound ‘vanillin’ can be derived by cheaper methods. Synthetic vanillin costs only 10 USD/kg. This price gap obviously constitutes an important cause for fraud. Sophisticated detection methods are in place, but they are not without limitations. The question arises if the fight against food fraud should be further extended by the application of digital tracking and tracing technologies. In recent years, the blockchain technology has become increasingly popular, it offers several attractive solutions, potentially also for the ‘vanilla problem’.