Recently, European countries discussed food fraud concerns, focusing on issues like adulteration, traceability, and illegal imports.
In January 2025, there were 220 reported problems related to food safety. This is a decrease from 248 alerts in December 2024 and 277 in January 2024.
These issues are potential cases of fraud. When non-compliance is suspected, authorities in EU member states may launch investigations. This information comes from a monthly report by the European Commission.
The report includes data on cross-border fraud, collected through networks like the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). It covers various areas such as food safety, animal feed, food contact materials, and veterinary medicine.
The goal is to help national authorities establish risk-based controls to fight fraud and deception. It also aims to support the food sector in assessing vulnerabilities and recognizing emerging risks.
Of the reported issues, 63 were related to fruits and vegetables, often due to pesticide residues. The second category with the most alerts included various food products, totaling 21. Dietetic foods, supplements, and fortified items had 20 notices.
Some specific issues include:
- Most problems were found through border checks or market controls.
- 22 issues arose from a company’s internal checks, while 12 were due to consumer complaints.
- Three alerts involved products from the U.S., including tartrazine in a pickle snack and THC in organic hemp seed oil.
- Cases of product tampering included sunflower oil labeled as olive oil from Greece and Italy, pork hidden in chicken sausages, and added water in tuna.
- Contaminants like ethylene oxide were found in spices from Turkey, and xanthan gum in products from China.
- Records showed gluten in gluten-free gummies and lactose in lactose-free dairy spreads.
- There were concerns about the documentation for lamb meat from Romania and the traceability of butter from Denmark.
- Illegal imports and unauthorized operators were also issues.
- Some Belgian chicken meat was deemed unfit for consumption, and transport temperature of fish and meat in the Netherlands raised alarms.
- Various non-compliance notices cited banned ingredients, misleading health claims, and pesticide levels exceeding safe limits.
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