Food fraud and food safety continued to be pressing challenges in 2024, with both issues seeing increases in incidents compared to the previous year. Reports indicate almost a 10% increase in food fraud incidents¹ as well as a 12.4% surge in food safety alerts². These trends highlight ongoing vulnerabilities in the global food supply chain. In addition, the data underscores the need for robust risk management strategies to protect consumers and uphold brand integrity.
Food Fraud Issues
A total of 665 food fraud records were documented in FoodChain ID’s Food Fraud Database in 2024, with numbers continuing to go up slightly over the coming weeks. Certain food categories remain particularly vulnerable to fraudulent activities due to their high market value, complex supply chains and gaps in oversight.
The top three commodity groups impacted by food fraud issues in 2024 include:
- Seafood – 13%
- Fraud in seafood continues to include species misrepresentation, the use of unapproved antibiotics or anti-fungal agents and misrepresentation of geographic origin.
- Honey – 13%
- Fraud in honey included the use of unapproved antibiotics in bee populations which result in residues in the honey, the addition of exogenous sugar syrups and active pharmaceutical ingredients added to “honey-based” products marketed as dietary supplements.
- Dairy – 12%
- Dairy product fraud in 2024 included fraudulently labeling products as sheep- or goat- milk based when they contain cow’s milk, substituting vegetable oils for milk fat and the addition of unapproved and non-food grade preservatives to milk.
The three most frequently reported types of food fraud in 2024 include:
- Botanical Origin Fraud – 19%
- Examples of botanical origin fraud include diluting extra virgin olive oil with other oils, adding fillers to ground spices and mislabeling honey varietals.
- Animal Origin Fraud – 19%
- Examples include undeclared meat species in ground or processed meat products, species substitution in seafood products and misrepresentation of milk source in dairy products.
- Use of Non-food Substance – 16%
- Examples include industrial colors added to spices, active pharmaceutical ingredients added to botanical products marketed as dietary supplements and methanol in alcoholic beverages.
Food Safety Issues
More than 18,000 food safety alerts were reported in 2024 according to data from FoodChain ID’s Ingredient Risk Identification by HorizonScan™, which is a 9.8% increase in issues compared to the previous year.
The top three commodity groups with the most food safety issues in 2024 include:
The three most frequently reported types of food safety issues in 2024 include:
- Pesticides – 15%
- Salmonella – 10%
- Listeria – 7%
Leveraging Tools to Prioritize & Mitigate Supply Chain Risks
In conclusion, the rising number of incidents reported in 2024 highlights the need for proactive risk management and enhanced supply chain transparency. With advanced risk identification and monitoring solutions, food industry professionals can safeguard product integrity. Equally important, companies can protect consumers and maintain regulatory compliance in an increasingly complex landscape.
FoodChain ID provides digital solutions to help companies identify, prioritize and mitigate supply chain ingredient risks:
- Food Fraud Database: Identification of food fraud risks to directly support GFSI-required vulnerability assessments
- Ingredient Risk Identification: Daily supply chain monitoring for ingredients and supplier threats
Key Benefits of FoodChain ID’s Food Fraud Database & Ingredient Risk Identification Solutions
Comprehensive Data: Access up-to-date records on food safety and food fraud risks relevant to your supply chain, vetted by our experts
Proactive Risk Monitoring: Customizable email alerts, powerful analytics tools and dashboards to strengthen resilience in responding to potential risks
Supports Compliance: Our tools support compliance with requirements for identification of food safety and food fraud risks required by FSMA and GFSI
Sources
- FoodChain ID. (n.d.). Food fraud database. Retrieved 1/27/2025, from https://www.foodchainid.com/products/food-fraud-database/
- Ingredient Risk Identification by HorizonScan™ Fera Science. (n.d.). HorizonScan: Ingredient risk identification system. FoodChain ID. Retrieved 2/4/2025, from https://www.foodchainid.com/products/horizonscan/
HorizonScan™ was developed by top UK scientists at Fera, formerly the Food and Environment Research Agency. Fera is a world-leading scientific organization specializing in food and agriculture. FoodChain ID is the exclusive U.S. distributor of HorizonScan.
