Asia-Pacific region, innovative strategies against food fraud

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Dario Dongo
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FoodTimes_ combating Food Frauds blockchain_AI Asia-Pacific region

Food fraud presents a significant global challenge, impacting public health, consumer trust, and economic stability. With annual global costs estimated at €30–40 billion (OECD, 2023), understanding and addressing this issue is critical not only for local markets but for the integrity of the global food system.

This analysis focuses on the Asia-Pacific region — a rapidly evolving market uniquely exposed to food fraud risks due to the explosive growth of food e-commerce and the intricacies of cross-border supply chains – while highlighting how its strategies, particularly China’s regulatory innovations, are shaping international responses to food fraud.

Leveraging regional case studies and aligned with the FAO Technical Toolkit, this work illustrates both the scale of the problem and the promising solutions emerging from the Asia-Pacific. Innovations in detection and information systems — such as blockchain and AI — alongside regulatory reforms, offer replicable models for global food fraud prevention.

Understanding the phenomenon of food fraud

Food fraud occurs when food suppliers intentionally deceive customers about the quality or contents of food products to gain undue advantage. The FAO identifies three fundamental elements that characterise food fraud:

  1. Intentionality – distinguishing fraudulent acts from accidental contamination or errors;
  2. Deception – misleading customers through various means including labelling, advertising, or product substitution;
  3. Undue advantage – typically economic gain, though not exclusively.

These elements differentiate food fraud from other food safety issues and provide a framework for understanding its various manifestations. Common examples include adding sugar to honey, selling regular beef as premium Wagyu, injecting shrimp with gel to increase weight, and substituting fish species.

While many instances of food fraud primarily affect consumers economically, others pose direct health risks. Notable cases include the 2008 melamine contamination in milk that caused illness in over 300,000 people in China, and the toxic olive oil syndrome resulting from aniline contamination that led to approximately 300 deaths (Gelpi, 2002).

Prevalence of food fraud in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region faces particular vulnerability to food fraud due to rapidly rising living standards, increasing demand for premium quality foods, and explosive growth in food e-commerce. Three of the world’s top ten online grocery markets are in Asia, primarily China, followed by Japan and South Korea (Food Industry Asia, 2018).

Recent investigations reveal alarming statistics:

  • in Australia, nearly 20% of honey products contain adulterants like cane sugar or corn syrup, with this figure rising to 50% for imports from Asia (Zhou et al., 2018);
  • in China, DNA testing of roasted Xue Yu (cod) fillet revealed that 58% of samples were substituted with other fish species (Xiong et al., 2017);
  • a study of fishery products sold online in China found 85% of samples were mislabelled when identified through DNA barcoding (Xiong et al., 2016):
  • ‘deepfake food’. Fraudsters use AI-generated labels to mimic premium brands (OECD, 2023);
  • cross-border e-commerce loopholes. Fraudulent imports evade detection via fragmented regulations (e.g., ‘parallel imports‘ falsely labelled as EU organic).

The e-commerce sector presents particular challenges as consumers cannot physically inspect products before purchase, must pay in advance, and may be dealing with traders in different jurisdictions. This creates significant vulnerabilities that fraudsters can exploit.

Methodological approach to combating food fraud

Legal interventions

Even in jurisdictions where food fraud cases are already prohibited, the FAO recommends adopting a specific definition of food fraud in national legislations. A well-defined concept provides clarity and focuses enforcement efforts on particular types of fraudulent activity.

The FAO Technical Toolkit recommends several key legal interventions:

1. Adoption of the Vulnerability Analysis and Critical Control Point (VACCP) system – Similar to HACCP principles for food safety, VACCP helps food businesses develop documented procedures to identify and mitigate fraud risks in their supply chains. A typical VACCP system includes:

    • listing all ingredients and materials used in manufacturing;
    • identifying potential forms of fraud they may be subject to:
    • evaluating fraud risks;
    • implementing control measures;
    • recording and reviewing findings.

2. Development of comprehensive food standards – Adopting standards aligned with Codex Alimentarius provides an objective benchmark against which suspected fraud cases can be measured. For example, if a seller offers ‘edible sago flour’ that does not comply with established standards, the deception element of food fraud becomes easier to prove;

3. Robust food labelling rules – When combined with food standards, clear labelling requirements can effectively prevent fraud. In Japan, the Food Labelling Act (Act No. 70 of 2013) creates standards based on principles of consumer safety and choice. In South Korea, the Food Sanitation Act (Article 13) prohibits false or misleading labelling and advertisements;

4. E-commerce regulations – Special attention to record-keeping, transparency, traceability, and liability in online food trade is essential. China’s approach makes internet platforms both regulators and regulated entities under its Food Safety Law, requiring them to register food retailers, verify permits, and take action against violations.

Technological innovations

Alongside legal frameworks, technological solutions offer promising approaches for detecting and preventing food fraud:

  1. Blockchain technology – While not a standalone solution, blockchain represents a transformative tool for enhancing traceability, data integrity, and supply chain transparency. By enabling decentralised, tamper-evident ledgers, it ensures immutable recording of transactions and provenance data across all nodes in the food system. Successful pilot applications – such as the pork traceability initiative by PingAn and Walmart China – demonstrate its potential to strengthen consumer trust and streamline regulatory oversight (FAO & ITU, 2019);
  2. AI-driven analytics – Leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms, AI systems continuously scan social media platforms and e-commerce listings to detect anomalous or misleading product descriptions. This proactive surveillance enhances early detection of food fraud and supports real-time regulatory interventions (Alibaba Research, 2024);
  3. Portable testing devices – Advances in miniaturisation, AI-driven machine learning, and edge computing have facilitated the development of compact, cost-effective analytical tools utilising infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensors. These innovations enable a paradigm shift from centralised laboratory testing to on-site, real-time analysis, supporting more agile and risk-based sampling strategies throughout the supply chain. Notably, portable DNA testing devices have been successfully deployed in Chinese wet markets for in situ verification of seafood authenticity (Zhao et al., 2024);
  4. DNA barcoding – This method has proven particularly effective in identifying fish species substitution by using short genetic sequences of mitochondrial DNA. The technique works on both raw and cooked products, making it versatile for retail market testing. Studies across Malaysia, China, Taiwan, India, and Indonesia have uncovered significant mislabelling of fish products, with rates ranging from 16% to 70%;
  5. Nuclear techniques – Advanced analytical methods such as stable isotope analysis, trace element profiling, and the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) enable precise determination of a food product’s geographical origin and production methods. Stable isotope analysis, for example, has been effectively used in Australia to detect fraudulent claims regarding beef provenance, strengthening supply chain verification and supporting export market credibility. In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy provides robust capabilities for characterising complex mixtures at the molecular level without the need for separation or purification, making it a powerful tool in authenticity testing and food fraud prevention.

Results of implementation efforts

The FAO Technical Toolkit highlights that preventing food fraud requires a multifaceted approach combining legal frameworks, technological solutions, and stakeholder cooperation. Regional legislation in India and Thailand, and cross-sector collaboration in e-commerce oversight, are encouraging signs of progress.

The most transformative impact, however, comes from China, which has established a comprehensive regulatory framework for food e-commerce liability:

  • joint platform liability. Online platforms are held jointly responsible for food safety violations committed by vendors operating on their sites. Major platforms such as JD.com are now required to pre-screen sellers and may incur penalties for unverified or misleading claims;
  • revisions to the Food Safety Law (2021). These include mandatory blockchain traceability for high-risk food products – such as infant formula and imported meats – and significantly harsher penalties, with fines reaching up to ten times the value of fraudulent sales;
  • nationwide enforcement campaigns. The ‘Bright Sword’ operations led to over 12,000 prosecutions in 2022–2023, targeting adulterated alcohol, counterfeit organic products, and fake imported goods (SAMR, 2023);
  • AI-driven regulatory technologies – Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in modern food safety governance. Platforms such as Alibaba have deployed tools like the AI Food Guardian, which scans over 50,000 e-commerce listings daily to identify suspicious or deceptive product claims (Alibaba Research, 2024). Beyond industry-led initiatives, AI-augmented regulatory systems – exemplified by China’s Smart Supervision platforms – combine machine learning, big data analytics, and real-time surveillance to enhance the accuracy, speed, and scalability of official food safety enforcement.

These multi-tiered responses demonstrate that integrated regulatory-technical ecosystems – when supported by political will and enforcement capacity – can significantly reduce food fraud risks, even in high-volume, high-velocity food systems.

Discussion and implications

The Asia-Pacific region has become both a testing ground and a trendsetter for anti-fraud systems. Its success has implications for the global fight against food fraud, particularly in:

  • demonstrating the feasibility of high-tech tools like AI and blockchain for enforcement;
  • proving the effectiveness of regulatory platform liability in the digital economy;
  • offering transferable strategies for e-commerce governance and cross-border trade.

Still, challenges persist:

  1. Definition and scope – A standardised, enforceable legal definition of food fraud is still lacking in many jurisdictions;
  2. Detection limitations – Most consumers lack the expertise or instruments to verify food authenticity;
  3. Fraudster adaptability – Perpetrators evolve faster than many regulatory frameworks;
  4. E-Commerce vulnerabilities – Online platforms create new spaces for deception that existing laws struggle to monitor;
  5. Consumer awareness and tools – Without access to blockchain-verifiable labels or portable testers , consumers remain largely dependent on institutional integrity and supply chain transparency.

Meeting these challenges demands coordinated international policy, continued technological innovation, and shared intelligence networks.

Conclusions and recommendations

The FAO Technical Toolkit’s five recommendations remain critical, but the urgency for AI deployment and cross-border legal harmonisation has never been greater:

  1. Include food fraud in discussions of emerging food safety issues to preserve consumer trust and ensure the safety of food supply chains;
  2. Adopt a clear definition of food fraud at international and national levels to provide focus and clarity for enforcement efforts;
  3. Review and align national food safety and quality legislation with Codex Alimentarius standards to establish a solid basis for countering food fraud;
  4. Develop specific frameworks for addressing food fraud in e-commerce, including clear roles and liabilities for different operators;
  5. Keep pace with and invest in research and new technologies to counter increasingly sophisticated food fraud methods.

China’s approach – blending rigorous regulation, real-time AI oversight, and platform liability – offers a benchmark for global adaptation. Its model shows that systemic, tech-enabled supervision is not only possible but essential in an age of digital trade, fragmented supply chains, and AI-powered deception.

These insights from the Asia-Pacific region provide a compelling roadmap for governments, industries, and international organisations aiming to build more resilient, transparent, and fraud-resistant food systems.

Dario Dongo

References

Dario Dongo
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Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.

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