A digital framework to fight food fraud across Europe
ALLIANCE(opens in new window) combines distributed ledger technologies, internet of things (IoT) sensors and portable testing devices to verify the origin and authenticity of food products, and artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to turn data into evidence for preventive action. This integrated approach supports Europe’s transition to more sustainable food systems, and strengthens traceability, transparency and interoperability across quality-labelled food chains such as organic certification and protected designation of origin (PDO) products. “If we want safer , more transparent food systems, we have to move from isolated tools and databases to real collaboration,” says Stavroula Maglavera, ALLIANCE coordinator and research engineer at the University of Thessaly(opens in new window) in Greece.
Connecting Europe’s food integrity networks
Rather than adding another standalone system, ALLIANCE focused on linking existing tools and data flows. The framework connects laboratory testing, on-farm sensors, logistics tracking and certification databases through a secure digital backbone. This joined-up approach allows earlier detection of irregularities and faster responses to potential fraud. Maglavera emphasises that ALLIANCE’s impact was as much human as it was technological. “Fighting food fraud means building trust between people and systems,” she remarks. “Technology only works if the ecosystem works.” That ecosystem brought together 25 partners across 12 countries, spanning smallholder cooperatives, laboratories, national authorities and large retailers. For many, it was the first time they had shared data across borders in real time. Despite the complexity, the collaboration showed that digital cooperation could benefit all actors, particularly smaller producers who often lack access to advanced tools. “Bringing so many actors together was not easy,” Stavroula adds. “But the diversity of partners gave us a realistic picture of Europe’s food landscape, and that’s what makes the results transferrable.”
From pilots to policy
To test its framework, ALLIANCE ran seven pilot supply chains in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Serbia and Spain, covering feta cheese, olive oil, honey, faba beans, pasta, potatoes and raspberries. Each pilot reflected real production and inspection practices, showing how the tools could improve oversight and collaboration along the chain. In Italy, blockchain tracking helped verify olive oil authenticity more efficiently. In France, spectroscopy identified honey quality deviations before products reached market. The Greek feta pilot used IoT sensing data to monitor conditions across the feta cheese value chain and AI to conduct analysis on the data, thereby improving compliance with PDO requirements, while in Serbia, AI analytics detected sourcing inconsistencies that supported corrective action. Together, these trials showed that ALLIANCE’s digital framework can make compliance checks faster and improve communication between producers and authorities. Meanwhile, national partners are now exploring how to integrate the tools into their certification and inspection systems. Participants also noted that digital cooperation helped build trust among farmers who traditionally work in isolation, providing a foundation for long-term resilience. Beyond the pilots, ALLIANCE also helped knit together Europe’s food integrity community. It launched the Food Fraud and Authenticity Cluster(opens in new window) linking 12 EU-funded projects to share data models, best practices and policy insights, and created the Digital Knowledge Base for Food Fraud(opens in new window). The consortium also produced recommendations aligned with the European Green Deal(opens in new window) showing how open digital collaboration can strengthen food safety governance and contribute to wider sustainability and agroecology goals. “We wanted to show that Europe can act as one digital ecosystem for food integrity, not 27 disconnected efforts,” concludes Maglavera.
