In the aftermath of the horsemeat scandal at the beginning of 2013, the environment, public health and food safety committee decided to draft an own initiative report on ways to combat fraud in the food chain.
Food fraud currently affects a range of products including fish, organic foods, olive oil, milk and cereals, but it was the horsemeat scandal that brought the subject to the fore, prompting new ways to tackle this recurring problem. Major issues addressed in the report include the need for a harmonised definition of food fraud; identifying contributing factors; enhancing the role and resources of the Food and Veterinary Office; improved co-operation between member states via Europol regarding cross-border cases; and urgent revision of EU laws on food labelling.