EUIPO campaign tackles counterfeit food and beverages
A “What’s on your table?” initiative is addressing fake food and drink as food and drink as the serious problem counterfeiting increases in the European Union, according to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Launched throughout the 27 Member States, The Office’s #WhatsOnYourTableEU campaign seeks to educate customers and shield them from phoney food and drink.
The initiative comes as recent reports indicate counterfeiting in the food and drink sector continues to pose significant risks to the health of consumers, while harming Europe’s economies as well as its culinary heritage.
According to the 2022 Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment, foodstuffs – particularly cookies, pasta, crisps and sweets – were the second most seized category of products at the EU’s external borders in 2020.
Recent findings reveal the alarming scope of this criminal activity. The 2025 European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) Report from Europol highlights that the growth of e-commerce has provided counterfeiters with new avenues to distribute fraudulent food items, making it increasingly difficult for consumers to identify authentic products. Criminals manipulate food labels and packaging and also adjust manufacturing processes, targeting high value products.
Law enforcement operations on the ground have also exposed the scale of the problem. The joint Europol-Interpol OPSON operation, carried out annually, resulted in the seizure of counterfeit and substandard food products worth €91 million in 2024.
Health risks remain a primary concern. The 2021 SOCTA Report warns that fraudulent food products have been found to contain dangerous substances such as methanol, mercury, fipronil and various insecticides or pesticides.
The economic impact is also substantial. According to the EUIPO data, the wines and spirits sector was one of the most affected sectors by counterfeiting during the 2013-2017 period. In total, €2.28 billion were lost in sales and nearly 5 700 jobs were destroyed annually in the EU due to counterfeiting. The loss in taxes of these products was also significant, amounting to nearly €2 billion.
The EUIPO campaign “What’s on your table?” provides practical advice for consumers on how to protect themselves against counterfeit products:
- Buy from official retailers and distribution channel
- Verify product labelling and origin
- Check for EU Geographical indication (GI) labels, such as PDO, PGI, and TS
- Examine packaging and products for flaws or spelling mistake
- Use authentication tools like QR codes and hologram
- Stay informed, stay safe, and remember to always check what’s on your table.
