Discussions on possible frauds in Europe continue to decline

Suspected food fraud and non-compliance cases discussed by European countries have continued to fall.

The number of notifications reported was 214 in February 2025 which is down from 220 in January and 318 in February 2024.

Issues listed are potential frauds. Non-compliance may prompt investigations by authorities in EU member states. Details come from a monthly report published by the European Commission.

Data includes suspected cross-border fraud topics shared between members of the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) and retrieved from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Administrative Assistance and Cooperation Network (AAC) and the Agri-Food Fraud Network (FFN).

The data covers food, animal feed, food contact materials, animal welfare for farmed animals, plant protection products, and veterinary medicine products that end up as residues and contaminants in food and feed.

The aims are to assist national authorities in setting up risk-based controls to combat fraudulent and deceptive practices, help the food sector with vulnerability assessments, and identify emerging risks.

A total of 61 notices mentioned fruits and vegetables, with the majority being non-compliant because of pesticide residues. Dietetic foods, food supplements, and fortified foods were second with 29 notices and confectionery was third with 16.

Examples of detected non-compliances
The majority of issues were uncovered through border inspections or market controls. On 13 occasions, the method of detection was a company’s internal check and 14 times it was a consumer complaint. One incident came to light because of food poisoning and another because of official controls in a non-European country. Concerns were raised three times following whistleblower information.

Eight alerts involved the United States in February. They included curcumin and titanium dioxide in food supplements, propylene oxide in walnuts, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in gummies and candies.

Product tampering cases included ascorbic acid in tuna from Vietnam, Robusta beans in Arabica coffee from the Netherlands, chlorate in poultry meat from Brazil, and Sudan 4 in palm oil from Ivory Coast.

Record tampering incidents involved gluten in a gluten-free kebab and a nut mix, suspected changing of a best before date on tea from Luxembourg, and traceability defects on fishery products involving France, Spain, and the Netherlands.

One notification mentioned forgery of documents relating to honey from the UK, while another listed falsification of the origin of cucumbers that came from Russia instead of Ukraine.

In the Netherlands, a horse unfit for human consumption was certified for slaughter. In Spain and Belgium, there was a problem with traceability as 15 horses were found that were not registered.

A novel food, egusi ground melon seeds from Ghana, was contaminated with Salmonella and Bacillus Cereus. There was a case of unsuitable transport conditions of kebab skewers in the Czech Republic and of illegal import of meat products from the UK into Belgium.

Several non-compliances mentioned ingredients not authorized in the EU, traceability defects, items skipping border controls, illegal imports, and pesticides above the maximum residue limits (MRL). 

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/03/discussions-on-possible-frauds-in-europe-continue-to-decline/