Food fraud: relabeling expired food

An OPSON Europe operation led from December 2022 to April 2023 by Europol has seized fraudulent products worth 30 million euros and issued a record number of 143 arrests.

The operation targeted counterfeit and substandard food and beverages in the European market - physical and online markets, customs areas and through the food supply chain.

The EU national authorities have detected many irregularities during the investigation and identified a new trend: relabeling expired food.

Criminal organizations bought food from waste disposal companies that have not been disposed of as it should. Afterward, they illegally replaced old labels with new ones with new expiration dates to cut production costs.

This action has significant health risks and is a crime against public health.

In total, 8,000 tonnes of illegal products were confiscated. Here is a list of the main ones by order of quantity:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Cereals, grains and derived products
• Fruits, vegetables and legumes
• Sweet and sugary products
• Meat and meat products
• Seafood
• Dairy products
• Food supplements and additives

This operation was a collaborative work of law enforcement authorities from 18 EU Member States and seven other European countries; national food regulatory authorities; private sector partners; and some EU institutions: the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), the European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).