Product tampering

Nature

Product tampering includes both random mass poisoning and the deliberate poisoning of food and drugs as an instrument in commercial blackmail. It is a modern phenomena born in 1980s.

Background

Product tampering emerged as a global concern in the early 1980s, notably after the 1982 Tylenol poisonings in the USA, which resulted in multiple deaths and widespread panic. This incident prompted international scrutiny of consumer product safety, leading to heightened regulatory measures and public awareness. Subsequent cases worldwide, involving food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods, underscored the persistent vulnerability of supply chains and the evolving sophistication of tampering methods, solidifying its status as a critical global issue.

Incidence

The first case of mass food tampering was in 1982 in USA, when four people died after swallowing the pain-relief drug Tylenol, laced with cyanide. There was no blackmail, no claim of responsibility and no arrest.

Claim

To poison food is to break all the taboos about what is natural and good. Our dependency on pre-packaged and hygienic food has made mass poisoning possible. From the criminal's point of view, it has the merits of anonymity and remoteness: he need never come into personal contact with his victim.

Counter-claim

Product tampering is vastly overblown as a concern. Incidents are exceedingly rare, and modern packaging makes tampering nearly impossible without detection. The media sensationalizes isolated cases, creating unnecessary fear. Resources spent on elaborate safeguards could be better used elsewhere. In reality, the risk to consumers is negligible, and the obsession with product tampering is a distraction from far more pressing public safety issues. It simply isn’t an important problem today.