The 2020 annual report of the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network is online

The European Commission has recently released the 2020 annual report of the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network (EU FFN) and the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation system for Food Fraud (AAC-FF).    

Over the course of 2020, network members submitted a total of 349 cases via the Commission's Administrative Assistance and Cooperation System for Food Fraud (AAC-FF). This marks a 20% increase over 2019, with the major categories notified being fats and oils, fish and meat products, and non-compliances in the transportation of pet animals, with the latter being a direct result of expanding the system's reach. Out of 349 AAC-FF cases, 98 were for goods of non-EU origin, 199 were products of EU origin, and 52 were products for which the origin was not stated.    

Coordination of cases inside the EU is often done in cooperation with appropriate Commissions' policy units from various services (such as agriculture or marine and fisheries) and OLAF (the European Anti-Fraud Office). The major coordinated measures carried out in 2020 concentrated on the fabrication of horse passports, the illicit trade of bivalve mollusks, the adulteration of herbs and spices, the unauthorised use of ethylene oxide, and non-compliances in pet transportation. A special e-commerce operation targeting dietary supplements claiming to treat and/or prevent COVID-19 illness was also organized.    

The figures in this report indicate a continuous rise in the usage of the Administrative Assistance and Cooperation system, as well as contact between Member States within the EU AgriFood Fraud Network. The exchange of information on potential cross-border fraud infractions has proved critical in effectively detecting, investigating, and safeguarding EU consumers from unlawful activities.      

 

Sources:  

https://www.lattenews.it/files/2021/09/ff_ffn_annual-report_2020_0.pdf   

https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/agri-food-fraud_en