FANtastic alliances: Building a united front against food fraud

The EFF-CoP project started in January 2025 when a group of passionate partners1 assembled in Amsterdam to consolidate its strategy for tackling food fraud.

Taking control and bolstering our resilience against food fraud is vital in our sector. A supportive ally in this endeavour is FAN – a Partner in a new Horizon Europe project creating a Community of Practice around food fraud prevention and detection.

The Food Authenticity Network (FAN) is a centralised, open-access platform  that assembles critical resources related to food authenticity testing and food fraud prevention. By curating and consolidating the latest information in one location, FAN empowers stakeholders – governments, industry professionals and researchers – to improve food safety standards and adopt best practices. Ultimately, FAN supports efforts to enhance food integrity, so that consumers worldwide can have greater confidence in the food they buy. 

Hosted by LGC, FAN is a public-private partnership. Its sustainable funding model recognises that collaboration between governments, the food industry and expert organisations is required to effectively combat food fraud.  

FAN’s partner organisations, as of March 2025

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in July 2025,  the network now has a global community of over 5,600 members from 112 countries and last year received over 55,000 unique users to its site. 

FAN contains a wealth of curated information on food authenticity testing and food fraud prevention, including tools, guides and reports. 

FAN is a partner in the European Food Fraud Community of Practice (EFF-CoP) project 

EFF-CoP is an ambitious Horizon Europe project with the vision to build a robust, collaborative European network focused on eradicating food fraud. Its assembly of diverse stakeholders – including scientific experts, industry professionals, regulatory bodies and end-users –aims to foster a seamless flow of knowledge, innovation and best practices across the entire food supply chain. The project is committed to bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical implementation, ensuring that new technologies and methods to combat food fraud are effectively adopted by businesses and authorities. 

Through the development of a Community of Practice, EFF-CoP will facilitate the exchange of expertise and resources, ultimately enhancing food safety, traceability and transparency at every stage. The initiative will drive the creation of new educational materials, advanced detection systems and collaborative strategies to tackle emerging challenges in the food industry. By ensuring a continuous exchange of knowledge and developing sustainable long-term solutions, EFF-CoP seeks to safeguard the integrity of the European food system, protect consumers and support industry competitiveness. 

This not only alleviates the immediate challenges of food fraud but also contributes to the long-term sustainability of food safety practices, regulatory frameworks and cross-border collaboration throughout Europe. 

EFF-CoP’s objectives will be delivered through seven work packages

The EFF-CoP project started in January 2025 when a group of passionate partners1 assembled in Amsterdam to consolidate its strategy  for tackling food fraud. 

Over the course of two inspiring days, Work Package Leaders and partners presented their ideas, brainstormed strategies and set ambitious goals – not just for the project’s success, but to establish its lasting legacy. They also cooked together, danced together, and built the kind of trust and camaraderie that turns a group of professionals into a true team.  

EFF-CoP project partners in team-building activities

With a shared vision, the partners made a powerful commitment to: 

 Enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing
 Develop and disseminate best practices
 Promote innovative learning and capacity building
 Strengthen food authenticity, traceability and transparency
 Expand and sustain a vibrant community through its digital platform EFF-HUB
 Ensure long-term viability and impact.

In the coming months, EFF-CoP will launch its official website and EFF-HUB, a dynamic digital platform designed to connect minds, foster innovation and provide invaluable resources. Members will have access to good practice recommendations, factsheets, case studies, educational content and a forum – all aimed at strengthening our resilience against food fraud. In the meantime, you can access updates on EFF-CoP through FAN’s dedicated EFF-CoP page.  

But learning won’t be confined to static resources. EFF-CoP is set to revolutionise engagement with interactive activities like food fraud festivals, gamified training sessions, living labs, webinars, podcasts and hands-on workshops. 

Whether you’re an expert, a researcher, a policymaker, or simply someone who cares about the integrity of the food on your plate – you are welcome to join. Combatting food fraud needs a community, and that community starts here. 

If your business is interested in supporting the organisation, or to access FAN’s free resources, you can become a member here:

Or alternatively, contact us at: [email protected]. 

Further information: 

[1] University College Dublin, Agroknow Ike, Smart Agro Hub, Nofima As, Wageningen University, Rezos Brands, Lgc Limited, 8d Games Bv, Deloitte Limited, Rete Internazionale Per Le Piccolee Medie Imprese, Eurofins Analytics France Sas, Wenger-Trayner Unipessoal Lda, Autoridade Seguranca Alimentar E Economica, SSAFE, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – EU Group, fiin Ltd, Udruga Dih Agrihrana Hrvatska, Food Fraud Prevention Think Tank LLC, Stichting Fraude Film Festival, Stichting FSSC.