| Markets | European Union, International |
| Organization | JRC |
| Topic | Labelling, Alerts and recalls, Methods and Manufacturing, Trade, market and official controls. |
As summarized by the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC):
- The data of the OPSON X operation have been made public, providing insight into this investigation that ultimately led to the seizure of illicit products with a total value of almost 54 million euros and the disruption of 42 criminal networks. The most seized goods were alcohol and food supplements, followed by cereals and grain products, in the period between Dec 2020 and June 2021. - Meat traceability and geographical origin mislabeling hits the top places of summer report, with incidents in Spain, Italy, and Kosovo.
- Alcohol adulteration took 11 lives in Cambodian province Kampot, due to the high levels of methanol in home-brewed rice wine, while the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), together with the national authorities of the affected countries, dismantled a criminal organization selling fake rum.
- A Bulgaria-based criminal organization imported rice from Ukraine and Egypt and falsified the label with the logo of the famous Australian rice brand “SunRice”.
- Online review discusses rice fraud's global problem in a ScienceDirect publication.
- Seafood fraud cases reported in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Italy, while American Security Project is discussing strategies of fighting IUU fishing in the USA.
- Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE) has published best practice guidelines to tackle fraudulent activities across supply chains.
- The Chinese authorities have launched a three-month campaign targeting fake food certifications sold online, lasting till mid-September 2021.
- Italy: the Italian operation “Ghost Wine” led to the seizure of 30 000 liters of counterfeit wine, 60 liters of synthetic aromas, caramel, and other substances usually used to adulterate wine.
- Milk adulterated with water and chemicals reported in Pakistan.
- Honey adulteration with sugars (e.g. mannose, maltose, maltotriose) and artificial molecules. registered by the FDA of India. The Indian authorities seized 13.5 tons of sago (a starch extract from palm stems) adulterated with whitening chemicals.
The release of the new RASFF 2020 Annual Report provides insight into 3862 notifications of food or feed risks.
