Food safety certifications and the enduring fight against food fraud
In 2025, food safety isn’t just about hygiene—it’s about trust, transparency, and integrity.
That’s why leading food safety certification schemes recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) have embedded food fraud prevention directly into their core requirements.
How food fraud is integrated into GFSI certification standards
To be GFSI-compliant, certified companies must go beyond traditional food safety controls and implement a structured approach to identifying and mitigating food fraud risks. This includes:
Food fraud vulnerability assessment
Companies are required to systematically assess their ingredients, raw materials, and supply chains to identify where they are most vulnerable to economically motivated adulteration, substitution, mislabeling, or counterfeiting.
Mitigation plans
Based on vulnerability assessment, companies must develop and implement targeted mitigation strategies. These may include supplier audits, ingredient testing, tamper-evident packaging, and tighter procurement controls.
Documentation and review
All assessments and mitigation plans must be documented, regularly reviewed, and updated as risks evolve—especially when new suppliers, ingredients, or markets are introduced.
Integration with Food Safety Management Systems
Food fraud controls are not standalone—they are integrated into the broader food safety management system, ensuring alignment with HACCP principles, traceability systems, and supplier management protocols.
These requirements were formalized in 2017 and became mandatory in 2018, following years of development by the GFSI Food Fraud Think Tank1. The goal? To treat food fraud not just as an economic issue, but as a root cause of food safety incidents.
Why does this matter?
- Consumer safety: Fraudulent ingredients can introduce allergens, toxins, or undeclared substances.
- Brand protection: A single incident of food fraud can cause lasting reputational damage.
- Regulatory compliance: Many global regulations now require proactive fraud prevention measures.
- Supply chain transparency: Knowing your sources and verifying authenticity reduces risk and improves responsiveness.
As food systems grow more complex, integrity and transparency are becoming the new currency of trust.
Get in touch with our experts to discuss food safety certification in more detail. Let's make food integrity a shared responsibility.