The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) launched “Operation Valoriza” on roasted and ground coffee, as part of the National Program for Preventing and Combating Fraud (PNFraude), between March 18 and 22, 2024.
The objective was to combat fraud observed in the production and marketing of this product, guaranteeing its quality, promoting fair competition between companies in the sector and protecting the health of consumers.
The operation resulted in the inspection of 47 establishments, the precautionary suspension of the activities of one establishment due to inadequate hygienic and sanitary conditions, the summons and/or fines for five establishments due to lack of registration with Mapa, the precautionary seizure of 9.4 tons of products suspected of irregularities, in addition to collecting 118 samples for laboratory analysis.
Penalties for establishments that are not registered with Mapa or that sell products that do not comply with established standards include warnings, subpoenas, fines, temporary suspension of activities or even revocation of registration, according to federal decree 6862/2007.
Coffee inspection
During the inspections, the hygienic-sanitary conditions of production, the raw materials used, the traceability of the products, the registration of establishments and the good manufacturing practice programs were verified. Samples of the products were collected for quality analysis, according to the official classification standard for roasted coffee established by Ordinance 570/2022.
In commerce, producers were registered with Mapa, in addition to signs of irregular products, such as previous analysis reports that indicated fraud, prices far below those of the competition and incorrect labeling information. Samples were collected and sent for laboratory analysis.
According to Celso Bucker, changes to labeling standards could help consumers. “Current legislation does not require companies to include the Mapa registration number on their labels, which is important information for consumers, indicating that the company has undergone an audit of its quality controls. Dipov has made efforts to update this standard”, he assured.
How to avoid fraud
The Map recommends that consumers check whether roasting establishments are duly registered with the ministry, which can be done on the agency’s official website. The main irregularities found include lack of registration, insufficient quality control and suspected addition of foreign substances to the products.
As roasted and ground coffee can contain fraud that is undetectable to the naked eye, the work of federal agricultural tax auditors and agricultural inspection technicians is essential to guarantee the quality and safety of products available on the market.
Consumers are advised to avoid products priced well below the standard and to be wary of products with inadequate flavor and aroma, as quality coffee must have pleasant characteristics.
Tags: Fraud involving roasted ground coffee detected operation
