April 2025
Monthly Summary of Articles
on Food Fraud and Adulteration
Retrieved mainly from the JRC tool Medisys (http://medisys.newsbrief.eu)
Disclaimer: The presentation of articles reflects their media coverage. In any case, it does not reflect the frequency of food
fraud in a particular country and/or concerning a specific food product. The European Commission does not take any
responsibility for the validity of the information extracted from the media channels scanned. The views expressed shall not be
regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.
Food Fraud Cases
Moroccan customs authorities have uncovered a network of certificate forgery in the ports of Morocco
Tanger-Med and Casablanca. The forged products include spices, food and dried fruits, which
Food
were imported as if they were of European origin to benefit from customs benefits.
Fruits and vegetables
01/04/2025 elfarodeceuta Herbs and spices
Document forgery
A significant seizure of food products has been reported in Costa Rica, where over 300 kg of Costa Rica
cured meats, 3 300 eggs, 39 kg of cheese, and 19 kg of chicken were confiscated on Route
Eggs and egg products
32.
Meat and meat products
02/04/2025 crhoy (other than poultry)
Milk and milk products
Poultry meat and poultry
meat products
Document forgery
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A significant quantity of fish has been seized in Palermo, Italy, after a truck was found to be Italy
transporting approximately 2 t of fish.
Fish and fish products
02/04/2025 blogsicilia
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
Approximately 6 000 kg of prosciutto has been seized at a salumificio (cured meat factory) in Italy
the province of Bologna, Italy.
Meat and meat products
02/04/2025 reggio2000
(other than poultry)
Adulteration/ Product
tampering
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
© European Union, 2025
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 1/6
A significant quantity of contraband wine has been seized by the police on the PR-323 Brazil
highway in Brazil. The seizure is part of an operation to combat contraband and smuggling of
Wine
alcoholic beverages. According to reports, the highway police apprehended 232 bottles of wine
that were being transported illegally. Grey market
04/04/2025 bonde
A consignment of 500 l of contraband olive oil has been seized by the police on the PR-317 Brazil
highway in Brazil. The shipment was destined for the city of Londrina.
Fats and oils
05/04/2025 bonde
Grey market
A significant quantity of untraceable horticultural products has been seized in Catania, Italy. Italy
The seizure was carried out after irregularities were detected in the traceability of the
Fruits and vegetables
products. Fines totaling over EUR 22 000 have been imposed..
06/04/2025 grandangoloagrigento Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A Chinese restaurant in Madrid, Spain, has been shut down for serving pigeons as duck. The Spain
closure was carried out after irregularities were detected in the kitchen and dead pigeons were
Poultry meat and poultry
found on the premises. The police and health authorities have launched an investigation to
meat products
determine the cause of the contamination and the possible responsibility of the restaurant Adulteration/ Product
owner. tampering
07/04/2025 elmundo periodistadigital infobae heraldo huffingtonpost leparisien Misdescription/
otempo 20minutos murciatoday Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A police operation in the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia has seized 2 630 bottles of Colombia
adulterated liquor, including aguardiente, whisky, and tequila. The operation took place in the
city of Cali, just days before Easter. The police were attacked with stones during the operation. Alcoholic beverages
08/04/2025 elpais elpais
Grey market
The Singapore Food Authority has seized approximately 1.4 t of illegally imported fruits and Singapore
vegetables at the Tuas checkpoint. The seizure was carried out after irregularities were
detected in the documentation and labelling of the products. Fruits and vegetables
08/04/2025 straitstimes
Grey market
A Vietnamese company, Kera, has been fined and thousands of its products have been Vietnam
destroyed due to a breach of food safety regulations. The company was found to be producing
Other food products/
products that did not meet food safety standards, resulting in the destruction of the products
mixed
and the imposition of a fine. Counterfeit
09/04/2025 vietnamnews vietnamnet Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) in the Philippines has seized a shipment of refined sugar from Philippines
Vietnam worth approximately EUR 450 000 due to misdeclaration. The shipment was found to
Other food products/
contain refined sugar that was not declared in the customs documents, making it a case of
mixed
food fraud. Document forgery
10/04/2025 mb Grey market
Italian authorities have seized a large quantity of fish and seafood products in the province of Italy
Palermo, Italy, due to irregularities in labelling and food safety. The seizure included 4 t of fish
© European Union, 2025
Fish and fish products
and resulted in fines of over EUR 3 000.
11/04/2025 blogsicilia palermotoday Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 2/6
Thousands of bottles of counterfeit liquor have been discovered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia
The seizure is a significant blow to the illicit liquor trade in the country, and highlights the
Alcoholic beverages
ongoing problem of food and drink counterfeiting in Cambodia.
12/04/2025 khmertimeskh Counterfeit
A major counterfeit milk scandal has been uncovered in Vietnam, involving the production and Vietnam
distribution of fake milk powder worth approximately EUR 20 million. The scandal has led to
Milk and milk products
the arrest and imprisonment of several individuals, including company directors, and has
raised concerns about the country's food safety system. Counterfeit
13/04/2025 vietnamnet vietnamnet vietnamnews vietnamnet vov china
vietnamnet vietnamnet
The Malian customs authorities have seized a large quantity of counterfeit and smuggled Mali
goods, including food products, in a recent operation. The seizure is part of an effort to
Alcoholic beverages
combat.
14/04/2025 malijet Grey market
The police in Thessaloniki, Greece, have dismantled a ring involved in the production and Greece
distribution of adulterated olive oil. The operation resulted in the arrest of several individuals
Fats and oils
and the seizure of large quantities of olive oil.
15/04/2025 ekathimerini Adulteration/ Product
tampering
Counterfeit
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A food fraud incident occurred in Germany, where a livestock trader falsified labels regarding Germany
the rearing of over 1 000 cattle. The trader allegedly deceived consumers by mislabelling the
origin and rearing conditions of the animals, compromising the authenticity and quality of the Live animals
meat. The incident highlights concerns over food safety and transparency in the meat industry.
Counterfeit
16/04/2025 t-online bild
Document forgery
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
Italian police have carried out an operation against illegal fishing in Calabria, Italy, and have Italy
seized a large quantity of fish. The operation has resulted in fines totaling EUR 81 000.
17/04/2025 lacnews24 Fish and fish products
Document forgery
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A food fraud incident has been detected in Italy, related to Fabio Fazio's chocolate company. Italy
The company has been fined EUR 100 000 for a lack of transparency in the labelling of its
chocolate products. Cocoa and cocoa
18/04/2025 dissapore ilfattoquotidiano preparations, coffee and
tea
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A significant quantity of counterfeit baby food has been seized in an operation, with 11 t of Türkiye
fake products confiscated.
18/04/2025 haberler Milk and milk products
© European Union, 2025
Grey market
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 3/6
A significant quantity of illicit beer has been seized in Córdoba, Colombia, with over 16 000 Colombia
units confiscated.
19/04/2025 elheraldo Alcoholic beverages
Grey market
A contraband incident involving cocoa and cashews has been detected in Côte d'Ivoire, with a Côte d’Ivoire
quantity of 594 t of cocoa and over 300 t of cashews seized.
19/04/2025 afrique-sur7 linfodrome afrique-sur7 Cocoa and cocoa
preparations, coffee and
tea
Nuts, nut products and
seeds
Grey market
A significant quantity of expired cottage cheese has been seized, with 23 t of the product Türkiye
confiscated.
19/04/2025 haberler Milk and milk products
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A food safety alert has been issued due to the presence of undeclared gluten in tortillas made Spain
from wheat flour, originating from Belgium.
22/04/2025 infobae eldiario Cereals and bakery
products
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A significant quantity of illegal fish has been seized in Entre Ríos, with over two tons of fish Argentina
confiscated.
23/04/2025 noticiasambientales Fish and fish products
Grey market
A fake liquor factory has been busted in Armenia, where a clandestine operation was Armenia
producing counterfeit vodka.
23/04/2025 securingindustry arka Alcoholic beverages
Counterfeit
A seizure of counterfeit liquor and beverages has been carried out in Aversa, Italy, as part of a Italy
crackdown on food fraud.
23/04/2025 efanews Alcoholic beverages
Grey market
A significant quantity of 3 t of illegal seafood has been seized in Magallanes, Chile, during a Chile
crackdown on food fraud and illicit fishing activities.
24/04/2025 laprensaaustral Fish and fish products
Document forgery
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
Three individuals have been arrested and a factory has been shut down in the state of Paraíba, Brazil
Brazil, due to the irregular production and falsification of peanut butter.
© European Union, 2025
25/04/2025 g1.globo Milk and milk products
Adulteration/ Product
tampering
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 4/6
A significant quantity of over 5 t of smuggled raw chicken has been seized in North Lebanon. Lebanon
25/04/2025 lorientlejour
Poultry meat and poultry
meat products
Other food products/
mixed
Misdescription/
Mislabelling/ Misbranding
A significant operation has been carried out against counterfeit alcohol in 81 provinces of Türkiye
Turkey, resulting in the seizure of a large quantity of fake liquor.
28/04/2025 haberler Alcoholic beverages
Counterfeit
A director has been detained in Vietnam for producing over 71 000 l of fake cooking oil. Vietnam
28/04/2025 vietnamnet
Fats and oils
Counterfeit
A significant quantity of contraband seafood and wine has been seized in the state of Paraná, Brazil
Brazil, including 3 t of Argentine shrimp without refrigeration and 600 boxes of smuggled
wine. Crustaceans and products
30/04/2025 g1.globo thereof
Fats and oils
Wine
Grey market
Two individuals have been detained in connection with the seizure of 56 tonnes of Malaysia
undocumented rice in Gurun, Malaysia.
30/04/2025 thestar Cereals and bakery
products
Document forgery
Other interesting articles
Report on EU agri-food fraud suspicions EU
“Monthly reports on Agri-Food Fraud Monthly suspicions” displaying the necessary
information concerning fraud suspicions retrieved from the Alert and Cooperation Network. Food
FFN monthly - European Commission
The Food Fraud Monthly Report is drafted by the JRC Geel Unit F.4 “Food Integrity” with the support of the JRC Ispra Unit T.5 “Text
and Data Mining”.
It serves the same interests as the JRC report but is based on EUMS notifications. More at: FFN monthly - European
Commission (europa.eu)
© European Union, 2025
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 5/6
The European Commission’s science and knowledge service Copyrights pictures:
Joint Research Centre ©acceptfoto – stock.adobe.com
©Alex White – stock.adobe.com
©UBE – stock.adobe.com
©Africa Studio – stock.adobe.com
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© European Union, 2025
April 2025 – JRC Food Fraud Monthly Report 6/6
