Industry Report

Food Fraud & Adulteration Index - H1 2026

Where fraud risk is concentrated now, how it shifted through the first half of 2026, and the categories our models flag for the months ahead.

Categories ranked

+72%

Fastest-rising category

195

Markets covered

1B+

Records analysed

Food fraud is deliberate, hidden, and always moving

Food fraud is economically motivated and built to avoid detection until it surfaces as a recall, a failed audit, or reputational damage. The hardest part is not reacting to it. It is seeing where it is building before it reaches your supply chain. And the picture changes fast: the categories most exposed this year are rarely the ones that led last year, so any team working from a static list of usual suspects is already looking in the wrong place.

One clear view of where fraud risk sits, and where it moves next

The SGS FOODNEXUS Food Fraud Index turns fragmented incident data into a structured picture of adulteration risk across global markets. For the first half of 2026, it ranks the highest-risk categories by reported incident volume, shows which are rising fastest and why, flags the reversals where last year's leading categories cooled, and gives a six-month forward risk signal for every category. The analysis draws on official national and international food safety authority data, so you get an evidence-based read rather than anecdote.

What's inside the report

The H1 2026 fraud landscape: ten categories ranked by reported incident volume
The three fastest-rising categories (cereals, fish and seafood, fats and oils) and the pressures behind them
The reversals: last year's leading categories that cooled sharply, and why that matters
A six-month forward risk signal for every category, showing where pressure is set to move
A quarterly view of how Q1 and Q2 2026 compare with the same periods in 2025
What the data means for your testing, sourcing, and audit priorities this quarter

Who it's for

This report is built for food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs leaders at global food manufacturers, retailers, and brands, along with the procurement and supplier risk professionals who work alongside them. It is most relevant for teams deciding where testing and audit effort should go, where the risk map shifts faster than a fixed watchlist can keep up.

Prepared by

SGS FOODNEXUS Data & Research

Food fraud intelligence

The index is compiled by the SGS FOODNEXUS data and research team from official food safety authority data across global markets, and reviewed by our food fraud specialists.