Abstract
The purpose of this article is to reflect on consumer victimization
processes in Germany: how criminal acts are trivialized in the food sector and
how a reversal of the fault occurs. In 2013 traces of horsemeat were identified
in many ready-meal products that were labelled 100% beef which was one of the
biggest economically motivated frauds in recent decades in Europe. Typical
victimization processes in the food sector are illustrated and public lines of
arguments in Germany are discussed using the example of the horsemeat scandal.
Although residues of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone were detected in the horsemeat,
the advantages of consuming the meat were highlighted in the German media. The
victims were not only viewed as perpetrators but also condemned them-selves as such.
The illegal food scandal transformed into a phenomenon in which neither the
fraud nor the enormous financial gain of the offenders were recognized nor criticized.
This could be seen as an explanation as
to why there is little legal awareness as well as victimological interest in
this field of fraudulent behaviour.
Keywords: Horsemeat scandal, victimization, legal awareness, economically
motivated food crime
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