The impact of counterfeit food products on the economy and health
Counterfeiting in the food sector is a rapidly growing phenomenon and represents a concrete threat to both consumers and manufacturing companies. The EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) has launched the #WhatsOnYourTableEU campaign to raise awareness among European citizens of this increasingly widespread problem.
Index:
- The numbers of food counterfeiting in Europe
- The risks to consumer health
- The damage to business and the economy
- The EUIPO campaign #WhatsOnYourTableEU: tools to defend yourself
- The protection of manufacturers: how to protect your brands and products
THE NUMBERS OF FOOD COUNTERFEITING IN EUROPE
According to the EU 2022 Report on Intellectual Property-related Criminal Activity, food ranks second among the most seized product categories at European borders: biscuits, pasta, sweets, chips are among the most frequently falsified products.
In Europol’s SOCTA Report 2025, it emerges that e-commerce has amplified the phenomenon, providing counterfeiters with new channels to sell counterfeit food, which is often difficult to distinguish from the originals due to: altered labels, imitated packaging, deceptive production processes.
RISKS TO CONSUMER HEALTH
In addition to issues concerning illegality and unfair competition: food counterfeiting can also have harmful effects on public health.
The SOCTA 2021 Report had already reported the presence of dangerous substances such as methanol, mercury and unauthorized pesticides in seized counterfeit food products.
THE DAMAGE TO BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY
The economy is also affected by this phenomenon. During the joint OPSON 2024 operation, carried out by Europol and Interpol, counterfeit or substandard products worth 91 million euros were removed from the market. While other data collected revealed that between 2013 and 2017, counterfeiting of wines and spirits caused losses of 2.28 billion euros in annual sales and the destruction of 5,700 jobs within the Union. Added to this are lost tax revenues of almost 2 billion euros.
THE EUIPO CAMPAIGN #WHATSONYOURTABLEEU: TOOLS TO DEFEND YOURSELF
The campaign launched by EUIPO does not just denounce the phenomenon, but also proposes concrete actions that the consumer can take to protect himself:
- Buy only from official resellers or certified channels
- Check the labelling and provenance of products
- Check the presence of trademarks and PDO, PGI, TSG
- Examine the packaging for spelling errors or defects
- Use digital verification tools such as QR codes and holograms.
THE PROTECTION OF MANUFACTURERS: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BRANDS AND PRODUCTS
In addition to measures for consumers, there are also actions that producers can take to prevent and defend themselves from this type of counterfeiting.
First, you need to register and protect your trademarks and take advantage of the quality systems offered by PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and TSG (Traditional Specialties Guaranteed). Furthermore, it is possible to develop effective and legally enforceable labels, which also allow the consumer to easily verify, perhaps even digitally, the origin of the products.
Finally, in the event of a violation, it is essential to react promptly also by relying on structures specialized in the fight against counterfeiting and equipped with multidisciplinary teams (technical consultants and legal specialists) to effectively combat this increasingly widespread and worrying phenomenon.