Adultery, tracking and illegal imports were among the suspected food fraud and lack of compliance recently discussed by European member states.
The number of cases was 220 in January 2025. This fell from 248 alerts in December 2024 and 277 in January 2024.
Issues listed are possible fraud. Failure to comply with the investigations conducted by the authorities in the member states of the European Union. Details come from a monthly report published by the European Commission.
The data includes the subjects of fraud, suspected, shared between members of the alert network and the cooperation network (ACN) and their recovery from the rapid food and feed alert system (RASFF), the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation Network (AAC) and the FFN.
Data covers food, animal nutrition, food communication materials, animal welfare for cultivated animals, plant protection products, and veterinary products that end up as residue and pollutants in food and feed.
The goals are to help the national authorities create risk control controls to combat fraudulent and deceptive practices, and to help the food sector in weaknesses and identify emerging risks.
A total of 63 notifications mentioned fruits and vegetables, with the majority of the majority of pesticides. The other food/mixed products category was second with 21 alerts. Foods, nutritional supplements and fortified foods were third with 20 notifications.
Examples of issues raised
The majority of issues have been revealed through border inspections or market controls. On 22 occasion, the source of the detection was an internal examination of the company and 12 times was a complaint for consumers.
Three alerts included the United States in January. They were tartrazine in a pickled snack, magnesium in a metal form in nutritional supplements, and a Hydrocanabinol (THC) in organic hemp oil.
Cases of tampering with the product included sunflower oil and other vegetable oils in olive oil from Greece and Italy. Examples of alleged fraud are undeclared pork in chicken sausage and adding water in tuna.
Ethylene oxide was discovered in white pepper, ground cardamom, sweet pepper from Türkiye and Xanthane gum from China.
Infltibility incidents that involve gluten in gluten -free gums and gluten -free and lactose emerged in the spread of lactose dairy.
The possible forgery of muttonems from Romania and uninterrupted butter from Denmark follow other topics mentioned. Illegal workers and unauthorized operators caused some cases. Many products also crossed border controls.
Chicken meat from Belgium was inappropriate for human consumption and there were concerns about the temperature of transportation around fish and meat in the Netherlands.
Many of the not mentioned in the European Union, health demands, and insecticides above the limits of maximum remains (MRL).
(To register for a free subscription in food safety news, Click here))