News

A Belgian local newspaper has conducted a survey of 32 samples of branded Extra Virgin Olive Oil sold through major retail outlets including supermarkets such as Carrefour.  The brands include internationally-recognised household names.  The newspaper commissioned testing at expert and Olive Oil Council approved laboratories.

Results are summarised in this press article.  20 of the 32 “Extra Virgin” samples failed to meet the specification standard of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).  Although oil degradation over time could be a hypothesis in some cases, in other cases the analytical weight of evidence was that the oil was Lampeter (a lower grade of olive oil) or – in one case – adulterated with sunflower oil.

Investigations are continuing into suspected certification fraud in the upstream supply chain.

Workshops and Round Tables: The EFF-CoP Community Is Growing - and More Passionate Than Ever About Fighting Food Fraud

The EFF-CoP Consortium members are more active than ever, united by a single mission: to smash food fraud.

But how can we truly achieve this goal? Only if we communicate together, share our message, and act collectively - as a community of dedicated food fraud detectives.

And how do we do that? By joining the EFF-CoP Workshops and Round Tables - the spaces where collaboration, learning, and innovation come to life.

That’s why EFF-CoP is thrilled to announce an in-person Workshop during the Food Fraud Conference 2025 in Berlin, taking place on November 5th, from 9:00 to 12:00.CEST
👉 Register now - seats are limited! Don’t miss the chance to be part of this dynamic, hands-on session.

Earlier this month, from October 8–10, EFF-CoP also organized an exciting workshop during the Final Meeting of the sensAIfood Project. The session was designed to foster collaboration and spark out-of-the-box thinking among participants.

It began with a short introduction to EFF-CoP and an overview of early results, followed by an energizing activity to get everyone engaged. Then came the main challenge - a creative exercise inviting participants to imagine a food fraud case in the year 2050.

They explored three key questions:

1. What type of fraud could occur, and who might be involved?
2. How could it be detected?
3. What measures can we take today to prevent it?

Around 50 participants joined, producing creative, insightful, and often humorous ideas - turning the workshop into a lively and inspiring conclusion to the conference. We truly hope everyone enjoyed the session as much as we did! The feedback from stakeholders in these workshops will be considered in the ultimate output of EFF-CoP work package 2, a White paper on the future research agenda given the current needs of the community.

This update has also been added to the FAN EFF-CoP page.

n this paper (open access) the authors used of solid-phase microextraction (SPME)-gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/Q-ToF-MS) combined with chemometrics to detect key differences between adulterated and non-adulterated ground roast coffee. They drilled into these differences and found two potential chemical markers for common adulterants.

They compared the aroma profiles of ground roasted coffee with some commonly used adulterants (ground roasted barley, corn and soybean). The SPME fibre collected and concentrated the headspace volatiles. Non-adulterated and adulterated samples were distinguished after applying some chemometric tools (principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)) on the obtained chromatographic data. Two volatile compounds (1H-imidazole-4-methanol and benzene-2-(1,3-butadienyl)-1,3,5-trimethyl) were identified as potential markers for the determination of adulterants (ground roasted barley, corn or soybean) in ground roasted coffee (p-value cut-off<0.001 and fold change (FC) cut-off>10). Also, 2-furanmethanol and 2-formyl-1-methylprrrole were found as marker candidates for roasted coffee powder.

The authors tested this approach and were able to detect selected herbal adulterants (5% w/w) found in ground coffee.

The FAN's Cost of Food Crime/ Fraud page  (third tab) has been updated with an estimate from Professor Chris Elliott.

Based on many decades of investigating food crime, Professor Chris Elliott has provided his estimate of the global cost of food crime under three different detection scenarios:

A Belgian local newspaper has conducted a survey of 32 samples of branded Extra Virgin Olive Oil sold through major retail outlets iand supermarkets.  The brands include internationally-recognised household names.  The newspaper commissioned testing at expert laboratories.

Results are summarised in this press article.  20 of the 32 “Extra Virgin” samples failed to meet the specification standard of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).  Although oil degradation over time could be a hypothesis in some cases, in other cases the analytical weight of evidence was that the oil was Lampeter (a lower grade of olive oil) or – in one case – adulterated with sunflower oil.

Investigations are continuing into suspected certification fraud in the upstream supply chain.

In this paper (open access) the authors  propose two novel metrics—the Geographical Differentiation Index (GDI) and Environmental Heritability Index (EHI)—to quantify spatial variation in fatty acids and their environmental drivers. These methodologies are derived from classical genetic theory - traditional heritability quantifies the contribution of genes to traits by calculating the ratio of additive genetic variance to phenotypic variance.  The authors applied this same methodology to the fatty acid profile of oils, in order to diagnose their geographic origin.

They systematically investigated the fatty acid profiles of four main oil-rich crops (olive, camellia, walnut, and peony seed) and revealed that fatty acid distributions follow elevation- and latitude-dependent patterns, with peony seed oils showing the strongest latitudinal sensitivity. Key fatty acids like stearic acid (C18:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2) correlated significantly with geographic factors globally, while the biomass of certain specific fatty acids varies significantly in high-altitude/low-latitude regions. They conclude that their findings establish specific fatty acid signatures as a robust tool for geographic authentication. They provide a chemical rationale for classification models, based on Machine Learning, that measure differences in fatty acid profiles.

Photo by Reinis Bruzitis on Unsplash

The final phase (Practices & Innovations) of the European Food Fraud Community of Practice (EFF-CoP) survey is now live and we would greatly appreciate your input please. 

You are invited to take part in a short survey (10 - 15 min maximum), which aims to collect information on real-world practices and strategies used in food fraud detection and prevention.

• Participation is voluntary, and responses are confidential.
• A Consent Form is provided at the start.
• Completion of the questionnaire allow you to enter the €20 Amazon gift card lucky draw.

Thank you for sharing your expertise and joining EFF-CoP's mission of revolutionising the fight against food fraud!

Europol, OLAF, DG SANTE and 31 countries across Europe and beyond, together with food and beverage producers from the private sector, joined forces in the fourteenth edition of Operation OPSON. This yearly effort targets the criminals behind counterfeit and substandard food and beverages. Law enforcement, customs and food regulatory agencies seized 259 012 packages, 1 416 168 litres of beverages and 11 566 958 kilograms of food, including meat and seafood.

Overall, Operation OPSON XIV saw:

• 631 individuals reported to judicial authorities;
• 101 arrest warrants issued;
• 13 organised crime groups disrupted;
• goods worth around EUR 95 million seized;
• 31 165 checks and inspections performed. 

A major activity frequently disrupted during OPSON XIV was the infiltration of waste disposal companies by organized crime groups to access expired food. Criminals removed original expiration dates and reprinted falsified ones, reintroducing expired and unsafe products, such as canned fish, into the supply chain.

In this paper (open access) the authors built a classification model to discriminate premium from non-premium grades of vacuum packed sliced Iberian ham.  They used a Near Infrared Scanner reading directly through the packaging.

The model was constructed from a database of 312 purchased from retail on a weekly basis over a two-year period (2023–2024). The samples were obtained as vacuum-packed slices from a range of commercial brands and industrial producers, in a manner analogous to typical consumer purchasing behaviour in supermarkets, encompassing the four official commercial categories: black seal, red seal, green seal, and white seal. These samples were preliminarily grouped into premium (201 samples) and non-premium (111 samples) categories based on their commercial labelling.  The researchers further verified the label categorisation by free fatty acid analysis.

The classification was based on the quality and sensory differences that appear in products derived from animals fed with natural resources (acorn and grass) in extensive systems (premium category), as opposed to those from animals fed with compound feeds (non-premium category}

The authors report 100 % sensitivity, specificity, and non-error rate (NER) for both of two different NIR sensors tested during external validation.  They report that a lower cost miniaturised model performed less well, with 100 % sensitivity but 85.71 % specificity and 94.74 % NER, limiting its applicability for samples near the classification threshold.

They conclude that their results confirm the suitability of NIRS technology for rapid and non-destructive in situ classification of high-value foods, including pre-sliced Iberian ham.

This e-book (purchase required) covers the most common non-destructive methods used in food quality and authenticity analysis, including machine vision, Spectroscopy, E-nose/tongue, Ultrasonics, and hyperspectral imaging.. While these methods have been in practice for some time, the technological advancements of the last decade have improved the precision and reliability of these tools, making them more popular. 

The book intends to be a research volume giving an overview of the dominant non-destructive methods, including the more novel technologies such as biosensors and terahertz application.  It brings together detailed information on all these most current advances in technology and elucidates their application in food processing. It covers theory, principle, recent advances and practical applications in food analysis.  The book is aimed at students, researchers, food trainers and industry personnel.

The chapters all focus on applications in food analysis

• Spectrtoscopy: Optical Methods. Visible, NIR, FTIR
• NMR
• Computer vision systems
• X-Ray, CT and MRI
• Hyperspectral imaging
• Multispectral imaging
• Backscattering imaging
• Biospeckly imaging
• Thermal imaging
• Terahertz spectroscopy
• Ultrasonics
• Electronic nose and electronic tongue
• Biosensors
• Techniques based on electrical properties of food
• Colour and texture measurements
• AI and Machine Learning
• Back matter

Around 80% of the seafood consumed in the UK is imported. Much of it comes from Norway, Iceland, Vietnam, and more countries.

In the latest issue of Food Science and Technology, Ivan Bartolo explores the UK’s reliance on imported seafood, driven by consumer preferences, global supply chains, and the demands of fish processing factories.

The article also explains how food safety is maintained, how the country determines the origin of seafood, and the environmental and resilience challenges associated with these imports.

Access full article: https://doi.org/10.1093/foodst/vwaf044

In this proof of concept study (open access) the authors used machine learning to build a classification model for saffrom authentication using mid infrared spectroscopy (MIR).  MIR is a portable technique.

111 authentic saffron samples (2023 harvest) were directly sourced from farmers in 6 different regions of Iran.

 Adulterant were prepared in-house by blending 1 – 30% of saffron style, safflower, madder, or calendula.

After grinding  into a uniform powder and then sieved in accordance with ISO 3632 standard, the samples were washed, dried, ground and then extracted into ultrapure water.  Extracts were filtered, then analysed by a solvent MIR spectrometer.

The authors report that data-driven soft independent modeling of class analogy (DD-SIMCA) successfully differentiated between authentic and adulterated samples, achieving 100 % sensitivity and specificity. PLS-DA and RSDE were then employed to identify the type and level of adulterants, with RSDE clearly outperforming PLS-DA, achieving accuracy above 94.0 %, as compared to PLS-DA's accuracy of over 90.0 %. They were also able to differentiate between the 6 Iranian growing regions. The authors do not report if they challenged or validated their model with samples independent of the reference set.

In conclusion, they conclude that the combination of solvent-based MIR spectroscopy and modern chemometric techniques shows great potential as a reliable tool for saffron quality control at the point of need.

Photo by Vera De on Unsplash

Featuring over 120 entries from international experts, this Encyclopedia provides a comprehensive overview of the activities, ideas, issues and challenges that shape relationships between food systems and society.

Each entry includes an accessible and informative introduction to its topic, along with specific examples, recommended further reading and references to other sources.

This title contains some Open Access chapters:

The canning process has a degrading effect on DNA, making the species verification of canned tuna more challenging than for raw fish.

In this paper (open access) the authors optimised and compared three PCR approaches: real-time PCR (RT-PCR), mitochondrial control region (CR) mini-barcode, and multiplex PCR.  They tested 24 samples labelled as either albacore, yellowfin, skipjack or light tuna.

They reported RT-PCR as having the highest identification rate (100%), followed by CR mini-barcoding (33%) and multiplex PCR (29%). They consider that the success of RT-PCR may have been due to the short (<100 bp) DNA fragments targeted. In comparison, multiplex PCR and CR mini-barcoding targeted slightly longer fragments of 127–270 and∼236 base pairs, respectively. Regarding species identification, CR mini-barcoding and multiplex PCR confirmed the presence of albacoreor yellowfin tuna in several samples; however, both methods struggled with the identification of skipjack tuna.

CR mini-barcoding enabled sequencing-based detection of a range of species in the products. The authors conclude that a combination of real-time PCR and CR mini-barcoding is the optimum approach for rapid screening of target species along with sequencing-based confirmation.

Photo by Grooveland Designs on Unsplash

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) is increasingly applied across diverse fields—from forensic science to biology and geoscience. In the EU, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) has an implementation timeline where rules apply to large companies from 30 December 2025, which is driving more IRMS testing.

But with its growing reach, many labs new to the technique face challenges in ensuring data accuracy and comparability.

The updated IRMS Good Practice Guide, produced by members of the FIRMS Network, offers essential insights into:
✅ Instrument setup & calibration
✅ Measurement techniques
✅ Data handling & uncertainty
✅ Quality assurance & troubleshooting
✅ Sampling

Whether you're new to IRMS or looking to refine your approach, this guide is a must-read for generating reliable, interpretable data. 

Access the guide.

This guide has been added to the 'Quality' section of this website.

Adulteration of Halloumi cheese using skim milk powder is a known risk in Cyprus.  The fraudsters adjust the composition to comply with PDO specifications for moisture, fat and salt content.

In this paper (open access) the authors prepared reference samples of authentic Halloumi (from a local artisan producer) and their own “PDO-specification” adulterated samples with 1% and 5% skim milk powder inclusion

They tested these reference samples using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) – a measurement of the specific surface area - and Fourier-Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR).  Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to visualize and interpret the spectral data. The specific surface area from BET measurements and the FTIR spectral subregion between 1650 and 1100 cm⁻¹ were key factors, and they were retained for model construction.

The authors plan to build on these initial results by including a wider range of milks and cheeses in the model, and by model validation.  They have published at this early stage because they believe this is the first time BET has been applied or shown promise in contributing to such a multi-variate classification model.

Apimondia has published a statement on Immature Honey Production that constitutes the official position of Apimondia, which aims to be a trusted source for authorities, traders, supermarkets, retailers, manufacturers, consumers, and other stakeholders of the honey trade chain to ensure they stay updated with the current concepts. 

Access statement: https://doi.org/10.1080/0005772X.2025.2557068

This article (purchase required) uses data mining of nearly 72,000 official food inspections from China from 2018 – 2023.  It tests the hypothesis that data manipulation by local food inspection agencies has led to an overall underestimate of food fraud and food safety incidents in China.

The authors examined the distribution of non-compliant samples near the qualified standard value using exceedance multiples. To quantify the extent of data manipulation, they used an exhaustive algorithm to construct counterfactual estimates.

They report an abnormal distribution of unqualified samples near standard value, indicating potential data manipulation. Robustness tests supported this inference.

They conclude that over 11% of unqualified (failed) samples may have been adjusted to qualified status during 2018–2023, with higher manipulation rates in eastern regions than in central and western regions. The manipulation rate of unqualified samples across 25 sample provinces ranged from 8.13% to 16.30%.

Yohimbine is a prohibited or restricted ingredient in food supplements in many regulatory markets, including the EU and UK.  It is believed to be an aphrodisiac.  Yohimbine (either undeclared or labelled) has accounted for a disproportionate number of regulatory seizures and supplement recalls over the past few years. There can be a food safety risk.

In this study (purchase required) the authors developed and novel binding assay for yohimbine, and worked it up to proof of concept in a rapid test kit (lateral flow device).

The authors used computational-chemistry-based prediction to design haptens to then generate a high-affinity monoclonal yohimbine antibody Yohi-4A7.  They then used this antibody to construct a gold nanoparticle-labelled immunochromatographic assay (ICA).

They report that the ICA presented cut off values of 5.0 ng/mL for aphrodisiac liquor and 5.0 ng/g for capsules, with detection limits of 0.56 ng/mL and 0.88 ng/g, quantification limits of 1.96 ng/mL and 2.58 ng/g, and satisfactory accuracy reflected by recovery rates ranging from 96.0 to 120.7%, respectively. Analysis of 26 blind samples using the ICA, followed by comparison with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry results, revealed strong concordance between the two techniques

This article (open access) is an early publication of a paper that has been through peer review but not yet through journal typographical editing.

During 2019-2021, a total of 78 samples of fish products from national and international brands were.collected from supermarkets, fishmongers, and other local retail stores in the Apulia region (Southern Italy).  They were tested using PCR and DNA barcoding.

The authors report that 5 of the 78 samples were fraudulently labelled.

They also discuss the role of DNA barcoding, challenges with processed fish products, and the pros and cons of different public databases (BOLD and BLAST).

Photo by Marko Markovic on Unsplash