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How the industry is fighting food fraud in 2026

Herbs, spices, and white powders are highly at risk of food fraud – but the industry is embracing food fingerprinting coupled with artificial intelligence to fight it.

Globally, food fraud is estimated to cost the economy up to $49 billion (€42 bn) annually. Risks remain prominent in today’s industry, with economic pressures driving an increase in food fraud incidents and food safety alerts.

The congruence of global events and developments is driving food fraud risks to grow and expand. Digitalisation – particularly AI and trade – regulatory changes, pricing volatility, climate disruption, and geopolitical fragmentation are affecting global food supply chains.

Which ingredients are most at risk of fraud?

“Ingredients that come from complex supply chains that are quite highly processed and easily mixed with other ingredients or even non-food materials such as brick, dust and chalk are highly vulnerable,” Christopher Elliott, professor of food safety and microbiology at Queen's University Belfast and founder of the university's Institute for Global Food Security, told Ingredients Network. “Many herbs and spices, as well as white powders, are highly susceptible.”

Food fingerprinting

In 2026, the food sector is exploring advanced technologies to support scientific applications for detecting food fraud. “The world of food fraud detection is moving towards the use of food fingerprinting coupled with artificial intelligence (AI),” Elliott said.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have examined spectroscopic fingerprinting to analyse food for fraud risks. By applying unique fingerprint profiling with chemometric software, scientists can develop an application model to detect fraud risks in commodities.

Scientists deploy this technology to food categories including edible oils and feed oils, herbs and spices, and soy beans.

Despite its potential, AI also poses a technological challenge, as AI-generated documentation and traceability fraud may attract criminals. By replicating data to create fake compliance records, fraudsters can use AI to generate legitimate-looking audit trails, geolocation metadata, and consistency across documentation to build credibility.

Buy from reputable suppliers, have a VACCP plan

With the ongoing rise and expansion of food fraud risks in 2026, companies and consumers alike need to adopt comprehensive, scientific strategies to identify and manage threats. Companies need to focus on maximising their knowledge of their immediate food environment.

“Know your supply chains, purchase only from reputable suppliers, and have a Vulnerability Assessment and Critical Control Points (VACCP) plan,” said Elliott.

For consumers, the emphasis is on doing your research to make informed buying decisions. “Only purchase from reputable companies, be very wary of purchasing food from online sites, excluding well-known retailers,” said Elliott. “If something looks too good to be true price-wise, think twice before purchasing!” added Elliott.

What the EUDR means for food fraud

Strengthening operations to ensure robust and resilient food security is a key priority for regulators and industry. With the arrival of the delayed European Union (EU) Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) projected for December 2026 for large and medium-sized companies, the anticipated law is expected to impact fraudulent activity.

Spanning regulatory change, supply chain preparedness, sustainability and consumer demands, the EUDR is expected to impact food fraud risks. Largely, these relate to high-risk lists relating to five core food-related commodities – coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, and beef – and high-value, globally traded products,

Equally, several emerging areas present specific risks, owing to regulators and industries struggling to keep up with rapidly-evolving developments or a lack of consumer-facing focus. Climate-positive and low-carbon foods, as well as digital-only food brands, are popular, meeting premium consumer demand. Plant-based protein isolates, alternative oils, and aquaculture feed ingredients are among the food sector areas to watch for growing fraud risks.