Phony baloney? Don't be fooled by these fake foods!

A new study shows a 60% increase in fraudulent foods this year. We'll show you how to avoid shelling out big bucks for fakes.

By Evening Express staff

updated 5:09 PM EST, Wed January 23, 2013

Can you spot fake olive oil? How about fake pomegranate juice? Know the difference between canned tuna and escolar?

A new study by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), finds fraudulent foods are up 60% this year. The most common offenders? Olive oil, milk, saffron, honey and coffee. Other top imposters include tea, fish, maple syrup and spices.

Most cases of fraud were done by people who used fillers in their products. For example, some plant leaves were found mixed in with tea leaves or pomegranate juice was diluted with other juices such as grape or pear.

We'd hate to see you spend top dollar for products that aren't what they claim to be. So our friends at Eatocracy put together a few words of advice so that you don't fall victim to fraudulent foods. Check out their tips in the gallery above!

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