Food News

The European Commission has published its August 2026 report on suspected fraud in the agri-food chain.

These reports compile detected non-compliance involving indications of fraud or deceptive practices, and they are shared among Member States through European alert and cooperation networks.

The reported cases show that fraud can take many different forms. For example, the affected products include olive oil adulterated with other vegetable oils, honey with added or substituted sugars, spices containing unauthorised colourants, and chocolate and other products containing undeclared colourants. There are also certain fishery products with additives above the permitted limits. Incidents involving food supplements, tea, cereals, and bakery products have also occurred. These situations highlight the importance of risk-based control plans, particularly for raw materials or products where adulteration, substitution, or the undeclared addition of substances may be difficult to detect through routine controls.

Monitoring suspicions reported at a European level can be a useful tool for identifying trends and periodically reviewing control parameters, such as the authenticity of oils and fats, product composition, and the presence of colourants, additives, contaminants, and undeclared substances.

YOUR PLUS: The AGROLAB Group's laboratories can help verify product composition and authenticity, and support the food industry in strengthening its control systems and supplier assessment.

Author: Dr Isabel Gómez, AGROLAB Iberica