News

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) 2023 Annual report, published last month, includes a summary of food fraud investigations and outcomes (see p61 onwards).

The FSAI Audits, Incidents and Investigations team conducted 57 investigations and 21 online investigations.  These ranged from warranted searches of premises to the monitoring of social media pages in cases where the online operation of unauthorised food businesses was suspected.  Outcomes included three Closure Orders, two Prohibition Orders and four Compliance Notices. Food safety concerns identified during these investigations necessitated the removal and disposal of more than 141,806 kg of products of animal origin.  The FSAI engaged with online platforms (such as Facebook and Instagram) where illegal food businesses were selling products online. This engagement resulted in two unregistered food businesses’ pages being taken down by the social media sites.

In overview, the report highlights a rise in “complex” food incidents.

 2020 Annual Food Fraud report: Fight against food fraud in Europe continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic 

Today, the European Commission has published the 2020 annual report of the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network (EU FFN) and the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation system for Food Fraud (AAC-FF).

In five years, the number of cases created per year has more than doubled, going from 157 in 2016 to 349 in 2020. The increased interaction between Member States within the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network has shown that fight against food fraud in Europe is tightening up. Sharing information on suspected cross-border fraud violations has proven to be essential in better identifying, investigating and protecting EU customers against illegal practices.

The EU FFN also works with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) in joint actions targeting counterfeited foodstuff. In 2020, members of the network were also engaged in OPSON - a joint Europol/Interpol initiative targeting trafficking in fake and substandard food and beverages and operation LAKE, which focused on the trafficking of the protected European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) species.

More information on the EU FFN can be found here.