Food fraud is a global problem and it’s getting worse. That’s according to the 2025 Food Fraud Vulnerability Index report, published by WellnessPulse. However, some countries and products are being hit worse than others.
The risk of food fraud is highest in countries most at risk of food insecurity, with weaker regulatory frameworks and insufficient surveillance measures fuelling its growth.
This is underlined by the fact that seven of the 10 worst affected countries are in developing nations in Africa, while the remaining three are in conflict zones in the Middle East.
By contrast, Finland was found to be the least vulnerable, with superior technological capabilities and extremely low corruption levels, credited for its success.
However, wealthier nations are increasingly at risk, with the European Commission estimating that food fraud causes eight to 12 billion euros of economic damage every year.
Countries most at risk from food fraud:
- Yemen
- Ivory Coast
- Sierra Leone
- Chad
- Benin
- Syria
- Guinea
- Jordan
- Madagascar
- Egypt
Countries least at risk from food fraud:
- Finland
- Australia
- South Korea
- United States
- Norway
- Japan
- Canada
- Denmark
- Israel
- Austria
Foods and beverages most at risk of food fraud
While a range of foods and beverages are at risk of fraud, including beers, wines, spirits, cereals and nuts, some have been more heavily targeted than others.
Most at risk, are olive oil, honey, and coffee. This is due to their high economic value and ease of adulteration.
Fish and seafood products, meat, dairy products, spices, cocoa, and tea are also common targets.
What is being done to tackle food fraud?
Governments and industry stakeholders are dedicating significant resources to tackling food fraud, not just because it’s costly but because it poses a danger to public health.
And efforts have resulted in some major breakthroughs, such as the successful ‘Operation Sativus’ in 2019. This saw saffron, a spice with a high market value in high demand, being fraudulently produced. Cross collaboration between the UK and Spain uncovered 87kg of adulterated saffron worth €783,000 and led to criminal charges against two individuals.
Another case, ‘Operation OPSON XIII’, was solved by collaboration between Europol and 29 European countries, from 2023 to 2024. It targeted counterfeit and substandard foods and beverages, and led to 22,000 tonnes of fake food and 850,000 litres of counterfeit alcohol, worth over €91m, being taken off the market. Authorities dismantled 11 criminal networks, issued 104 arrest warrants, and identified 278 individuals to be reported to judicial authorities. Key findings included adulterated olive oil, mislabelled tuna, and expired foods with fake dates.
But these success stories are dwarfed by the growing number of cases, pushing authorities to double their efforts to keep up.
The European Union in particular is cracking down on food fraud. Cooperation systems and tools have been put in place to exchange information between Member States. Additionally, the EU has established a legal framework helping Member States identify food fraud and protect the consumers.
However, successes are hampered by the fact penalties for food fraud vary depending on a country’s laws, how food fraud is defined, and how serious the case is. This means the risk to criminals is greater in some countries than others.
“In some situations, it may be treated as an administrative issue, while in others, especially if it puts people’s health at risk, causes death, or involves organised crime, it can be considered a criminal offense,” says Lauryna Nelkine, head of health research at WellnessPulse.
“When food fraud is confirmed, it can lead to arrests, the seizure of food products, money, and documents, as well as significant financial penalties.”
Food fraud tougher to detect
“The problem of food fraud continues to grow as the European food supply chain becomes increasingly complex and globalised,” says Nelkine.
Added to this, external pressures such as climate change and geopolitical instability are placing food security at risk, leaving the door wide open for criminals to plug the gap.
At the same time, Nelkine explains fraudsters are utilising more and more advanced technologies to alter food products, with some methods altering products at the molecular level, which are often beyond the detection capabilities of current laboratory techniques, or the techniques required are very expensive.
Plus criminal gangs are operating through carefully planned schemes and coordinated networks, helping them to stay ahead.
What more can be done to tackle food fraud?
The 2025 Food Fraud Vulnerability Index report revealed several ways in which food fraud can be addressed and tackled.
These include:
- Enhancing ingredient controls and certification processes to prevent fraud at every stage of production and distribution
- Addressing gaps in food safety and authenticity information in emerging industries and ingredients
- Increasing risk-based inspections and establishing more efficient monitoring and food protection systems throughout the supply chain
- Increasing collaboration with experts in food safety and food processing
- Developing data-based models to detect innovative adulteration techniques and utilising advanced technologies like blockchain and AI to improve traceability, enhance automation, and predict potential food fraud incidents.
