Food fraud cases surge worldwide as prevention efforts fail

Food fraud summary for industry

• Food fraud cases increased significantly due to rising economic pressures
• Supply chain disruptions create vulnerabilities that criminals exploit across multiple sectors
• High risk categories include oils, honey, grains, dairy and spices
• Experts urge targeted testing, stronger supplier checks and rapid incident response
• Proactive investment strengthens resilience and builds valuable consumer trust advantages

Food fraud is escalating rapidly worldwide.

Reported cases jumped 10% in 2024 and early data indicates the same increase for 2025 (supply chain consultants Food Chain ID). And those are just the instances we know about.

“Food fraud trends are difficult to pin down because of the clandestine nature of food fraud,” says international food fraud prevention expert Karen Constable. “Successful frauds do not appear in the data at all.”

What’s more, efforts to stop cases of food fraud are failing, meaning the problem could escalate further.

“I’ve been following food fraud events since 2015 and, despite more media reporting, more official notifications and more awareness today, food fraud incidents still look very much like they did a decade ago,” says Constable. “While some large companies have taken decisive action to protect their brands and consumers from food fraud, there are still many vulnerabilities across most commodity supply chains, and still many ways for fraudsters to profit.”

This is sparking huge consumer safety concerns and proving costly to economies, with the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) estimating it costs the British economy up to £2bn (€2.3bn) every single year.

So why are cases of food fraud on the rise, which categories are most at risk, and what can be done to stop it?

Why is food fraud growing?

“Understanding food fraud requires recognising the sophisticated methods fraudsters now employ across increasingly complex supply chains,” says Emma Hanby, director of Food Advisory and Training at public health organisation NSF EMEA.

However, she explains that economic pressures are the main reason for the surge in food fraud cases worldwide. “When commodity inflation hit food ingredients particularly hard over the past few years, we witnessed a direct correlation with increased fraudulent activities.

Added to this, geopolitical disruptions are reshaping fraud patterns. The ongoing effects of the Ukraine conflict, combined with Brexit complexities and climate-related supply disruptions, are creating vulnerabilities for “bad actors” to exploit. “When legitimate supply chains are strained, alternative sources emerge that may not meet the verification standards companies expect.”

The level of sophistication has also increased dramatically, explains Hanby. “Today’s fraudsters are using advanced documentation forgery, exploiting digital certification gaps, and taking advantage of the complexity of modern supply chains, where products might pass through multiple countries before reaching consumers.”

Categories most at risk

Edible oils, such as sunflower and olive oil, continue to top the list of commodities most vulnerable to fraud.

“When sunflower oil prices increased by over 1000% due to supply disruptions, we saw a corresponding spike in adulteration cases involving cheaper oil substitutions,” says NSF’s Hanby.

Honey is another heavily targeted product. “We’re seeing dilution with synthetic syrups that are increasingly difficult to detect through standard testing methods,” explains Hanby.

Added to this, cases of grain and wheat fraud are sweeping across Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced companies to switch to unfamiliar suppliers.

Dairy products, especially those with premium positioning, such as organic or grass-fed claims, are also increasingly under threat, as the verification systems for these claims can be complicated. “When supply pressures mount, the temptation to cut corners or make false claims increases significantly,” says Hanby.

Finally, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, which are often sourced from countries with weaker regulatory frameworks, now pose a high risk. “These products often pass through multiple intermediaries before reaching final manufacturers, creating numerous opportunities for adulteration or substitution along extended supply chains,” says Hanby.

Stopping food fraud

Preventing food fraud demands far more than routine quality checks. As the threat grows in scale and sophistication, so too must the industry’s response.

Effective protection relies on a layered strategy - one that blends advanced technology with human insight and robust, repeatable processes to create a resilient defence against emerging risks.

International food fraud prevention expert Karen Constable advises companies to take the following steps:

1. Run a structured food‑fraud vulnerability assessment and mitigation plan that covers ingredients, primary packaging and finished products, and integrate it into your food safety management system
2. Focus controls and authenticity testing on known high‑risk materials and claims, using targeted analytical methods, stronger supplier qualification, and contractual controls rather than spreading resources thinly
3. Apply a ‘hurdle’ approach which combines supplier assurance and supply chain audits, background checking of suppliers, horizon scanning, robust receivals processors and targeted testing to reduce the overall risk.
4. Validate all certificates and laboratory reports with the issuing body.

If fraud is suspected

“Speed and coordination are essential when dealing with suspected fraud incidents,” says NSF’s Hanby.

She advises the following actions:

1. The first priority is containment. This means immediately quarantining any suspect products and preventing further distribution. Delays in containment can turn manageable incidents into major crises affecting multiple markets
2. An internal investigation must begin immediately, led by a cross-functional team including representatives from quality assurance, procurement, legal, and communications
3. Communication with suppliers must be immediate and direct. Companies should demand full transparency about sourcing, processing, and any changes that may have contributed to the issue
4. Regulatory notification requirements vary across global markets, but the general principle is to notify authorities promptly when fraud is confirmed or strongly suspected. Delays in notification can result in regulatory penalties and damage relationships with authorities that companies depend on for ongoing operations
5. General Food Law (Reg. (EC) 178/2002), Article 19, obliges food business operators (FBOs) to immediately initiate the withdrawal/recall of unsafe food and to inform the competent authorities; it also requires cooperation with authorities throughout risk mitigation. “Immediately” is interpreted as without undue delay once non‑compliance affecting safety is confirmed or reasonably suspected.
6. Customer communication should be prepared even if it’s not immediately deployed. Having clear messaging ready allows companies to respond quickly if the issue becomes public or if customers begin asking questions
7. Following any confirmed or suspected fraud, corrective actions must be taken, including strengthening supplier verification and audit frequency, and implementing enhanced testing protocols for high-risk ingredients.

The future of food safety

The surge in food fraud is pushing businesses to rethink how they manage risk - those that move quickly will come out strongest.

Investing in transparency, data‑driven verification and tighter supply‑chain oversight offers more than protection, it sharpens operational efficiency, strengthens supplier relationships, and helps safeguard brand trust at a time when consumer scrutiny is higher than ever.

Companies that commit to these measures now won’t just reduce their exposure to fraud, they’ll position themselves at the forefront of a safer, more resilient and ultimately more competitive global food system.