Food fraud, or the act of defrauding buyers of food or ingredients for economic gain has vexed the food industry throughout history. Despite the integrity of the majority of the food industry and their commitment to consumer protection and consumer confidence, the issue of food fraud has gained attention in recent times. Although EU food law is very detailed with respect to food safety (including controls and tests in areas such as residues and other contaminants of food and feed), there is no framework in place specifically to target food fraud, other than the general stipulation that consumers may not be misled. To address this issue, effective measures are being identified to further strengthen European rules and controls. Several of these are reflected in the EU Action Plan to tackle food fraud.

SUMARIO: 1. Introducción. 2. El escándalo de la “carne de caballo en la lasaña” y su seguimiento. 2.1. ¿Una reacción vacilante e incierta? 2.2. El plan de actuación de la Comisión basado en cinco ejes. 2.3. Otros documentos. 3. La Resolución del PE sobre la crisis y los fraudes. 3.1. Alcance e importancia. 3.2. Medidas propuestas. 4. (¿Novedades?) en la legislación española. 5. Conclusión.