The Food Standards Agency is explore new methods of detecting food fraud.

It is to invite experts on food fraud detection to a seminar next month to tell enforcement officers how they can use modern techniques, such as DNA testing, to uncover cases of fraud.

The FSA believes cases of food fraud are growing, with businesses and consumers cheated out of millions of pounds every year.

Studies have shown that up to 10% of products are either adulterated with inferior ingredients or do not come from the geographical areas promised by labelling.

Products described as organic have been found to be grown using chemicals forbidden by strict rules.

"The UK food sector alone is worth about £70bn per year, so a small percentage of fraud can be worth a lot of money," said FSA scientist Mark Woolfe.