Quality and methods of adulteration of meat and fish products on the Polish market in 2010-2020

Background. Globalisation is the direct or indirect source and cause of many economic, social, political and cultural processes and phenomena. These processes also affect agribusiness and food production. One of the important developments in recent decades is the ever-increasing scale of food adulteration. Its consequence is a reduction in the level of food safety, both in its health and economic aspects. The latter is due to the presence of impaired, or even adulterated, food on the market, which exposes consumers to non-equivalent exchanges. Sectors particularly vulnerable to these illegal trade practices include meat and fish products. Objective. The aim of the article is to identify the dominating methods/categories of food adulteration using the example of the Polish market for the food production sectors of meat and fish. Material and methods. The research was conducted using data from the Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (AFQI), the official food control institution responsible for quality and food adulteration controls in Poland. The study covered the period from 2010 to 2020. Results. Research has shown an exceptionally significant level and diversity of methods of adulterating meat and fish products. These products are adulterate much more often than other food products. The conducted research has shown many methods and ways of adulterating both meat and fish products. It is worth emphasizing that the greater concentration of counterfeiting methods concerns meat products. The study revealed an extremely significant variety of adulterating methods for meat and fish products, significantly beyond those typically cited in the literature. Conclusions. The results of the research indicate the need to intensify official food controls on the Polish market. In particular, this should apply to the group of meat and fish products due to their high level of adulteration.