Rise in EU fraud and non-compliance notices in December

The number of food fraud and non-compliance suspicions raised by European member states climbed in December 2024.

The 248 alerts are up from 232 in November 2024 but down from 292 in October. This compares to 213 in September and 222 in August. There were 325 notifications in July, 265 in June, 281 in May, 341 in April, 345 in March, 318 in February, and 277 in January.

The 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 98 notices mentioned fruit and vegetables, with the majority being non-compliant because of pesticide residues. Dietetic foods, food supplements, and fortified foods were second with 30 alerts. Herbs and spices ranked third with cocoa and cocoa preparations, coffee and tea, and confectionery in joint fourth. 

Example alerts
The majority of issues were uncovered through border inspections or market controls. On 20 occasions each, the source of detection was a consumer complaint or a company’s internal check. One incident was detected because of food poisoning.

Only two alerts involved the United States in December. They were diindolylmethane in a food supplement and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in gummies.

Product tampering cases included carbon monoxide, nitrites, and ascorbic acid levels in tuna from Vietnam, glycerol in ice drinks from the Netherlands, and rhodamine B in chili powder from Bangladesh. Adulteration examples included olive oil from Greece and Syria, water content in sausages, and cow’s milk in sheep’s yogurt.

Ethylene oxide was detected in chamomile tea from Sri Lanka, food supplements from India, xanthan gum from China, and sesame seeds from Guatemala.

Record tampering incidents involved traceability defects of canned ham from Poland and of turkey meat from Northern Ireland. There were three cases of an unauthorized operator. One in Switzerland for food supplements, another in Poland for lamb meat, and the third in Northern Ireland for poultry meat.

Several non-compliances mentioned ingredients not authorized in the EU and pesticides above the maximum residue limits (MRL). 

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