Protecting the EU against Food Fraud

In 2021, we organised the EU coordinated action called “From the Hives” to assess the prevalence of honey adulterated with sugars. This stemmed from concerns raised by producer organisations as well as consumer protection associations. The coordinated action confirmed the initial assumption that a significant part of imported honey is suspected of not complying with the provisions of the “Honey Directive” (46% based on 320 samples). To date, 44 EU operators have been investigated and seven have been sanctioned. 

During this mandate, we carried out an EU action on plastic Food Contact Materials made of bamboo ‘powder.’ Here, together with the EU Food Fraud Network, we focused our efforts on putting an end to the illegal import, trade and advertising of plastic articles sold as food contact materials, e.g. tableware containing bamboo. Most plant-based additives, including bamboo, have not been safety assessed for their use in plastics. Twenty-one countries joined the year-long coordinated action, which led to a significant increase in the identification of illegal and fraudulent products.  

We also significantly contributed to the fight against the illegal trade of cats and dogs by undertaking an EU enforcement action. A total of 467 notifications of suspected fraud were exchanged within the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (via its IT platform iRASFF), seeking assistance on document forgeries (passports, health certificates, rabies titration results) and on misleading information about the age, origin, or vaccination status of dogs or cats. Some 47 judicial proceedings were initiated during the action. 

The results of these coordinated actions demonstrate that some business operators are not complying or are not in a position to comply with their primary responsibility and thus jeopardise consumer confidence, undermine food value chains, create unfair competition for EU producers and operators and jeopardise food control systems' credibility. That is why our work combatting this fraud is fundamental.  

Given the complexity of modern food supply chains, it is important to cast a wide net when it comes to controlling fraud. That is why DG SANTE collaborates with many different stakeholders to ensure that food is safe and contains what it says it does for consumers. Much of our work happens through the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network. The Network links the Commission and each liaison body designated by Member States, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. In collaboration with the Network, the European Commission Knowledge Centre for Food Fraud and Quality (in the Joint Research Centre) provides its expertise in food science, and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) carry out necessary investigations. Since 2013, members exchange information and cooperate in matters where they are confronted with violations of the EU agri-food chain legislation of a cross-border nature, in accordance with the rules laid down in the Official Controls Regulation.   

The Official Control Regulation requires Member States to organise risk-based controls to identify and combat fraudulent and deceptive practices along the agri-food chain. With this in mind, in January 2024, the European Commission published its first monthly report of food fraud suspicions retrieved from the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN). The reports provide valuable and targeted information to stakeholders of the agri-food sector to perform adequate vulnerability assessments and identify new emerging risks.  

These monthly reports include ‘non-compliances with fraud suspicions’ of a cross-border nature, identified and shared between members of the Alert and Cooperation Network and retrieved from its three components: the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed network (RASFF), the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation network and the Agri-Food Fraud Network. The monthly reports cover food, feeding stuff, materials and articles intended to come into contact directly or indirectly with food, animal welfare issues for farmed animals, plant protection products, veterinary medicinal products and other inputs that may end in the form of residues and contaminants in food and feed.   

During this mandate, DG SANTE has proved its capacity to manage crisis in an efficient way and will continue to refine the procedures and tools, using innovative tools. Like in many fields, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact the future fight against food fraud. We very much see AI as an enabler to better use existing data, to allow better targeting of emerging risks and to be better prepared for future crises. 

Our second generation iRASFF system, currently in the works, will feature AI to support the processing of data and the creation of traceability maps. It will notably include a traceability solution, more in-depth analysis of the data to support decision making in case of incidents, new technology for modelling and pattern identification and insights sharing with target audiences. The introduction of artificial intelligence will respond to Member States’ requests to have powerful data analysis tools in iRASFF to assist them in deciding on enforcement actions, but also to provide early warning capability.