Using OSINT to Combat Food Fraud – A Beginners Guide

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Food fraud, costing the global economy an estimated $40 billion annually, represents a significant risk to public health and market integrity[i]. This article describes how Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and its associated subdisciplines provide powerful prevention and detection tools for food fraud throughout the global supply chain. We report on real case studies and current trends and illustrate how adding OSINT and its associated intelligence disciplines to food security systems provides a cost-effective, scalable solution to help maintain consumer protection and market confidence.

INTRODUCTION

Food fraud is an increasingly serious issue and has emerged as a critical global challenge. The World Health Organisation estimates that 420,000 people die annually from foodborne illnesses, many linked to fraudulent food products[ii]. Recent high-profile cases, such as the 2013 European horsemeat scandal and the 2018 fake olive oil crisis in Italy, have highlighted the sophisticated nature of food fraud networks and their devastating impact on public health and market confidence[iii].

On one hand, consumers do not get what they pay for, and on the other, it impacts public health, market trust, and economic stability. According to New Food Magazine[iv], the consequences of food crime are significant, resulting in demands for better detection and investigation strategies to help preserve the integrity of the global food supply chain.

One emerging strategy is harnessing the insights generated through the analysis of OSINT, which draws on publicly available information and can help provide greater transparency and security in the global food supply chain.

The complexity of modern food supply chains and the increasing sophistication of fraudsters demand innovative detection and investigation strategies. OSINT can be a powerful tool in this fight, offering unprecedented visibility into supply chain vulnerabilities and fraud. Recent studies indicate that OSINT-led investigations can significantly reduce detection time and costs. For instance, the Canadian OSINT Centre reports a 40% reduction in digital evidence-gathering time[v], leading to faster case resolutions. Additionally, OSINT's cost-effectiveness and real-time capabilities make it a powerful tool for threat detection and due diligence[vi].

DEFINITIONS AND FRAMEWORK

Food Fraud

Food fraud is defined as "any deliberate action of firms or individuals to deceive others regarding food integrity to gain unfair advantage"[vii]. The scope of food fraud activities is extensive and dynamic. Adulteration occurs when unwanted ingredients are mixed with food products to achieve maximum profit margins or shelf life. Product substitution replaces valuable ingredients with cheaper ingredients, often without consumer knowledge. Dilution processes reduce the quantity of precious ingredients without altering the appearance of the original product. Label or product tampering distorts critical information concerning origin, ingredients, or safety standards. Simulation and counterfeiting create imitations of products that nearly resemble genuine brands, whereas misrepresentation presents false information on product origin, production method, or certification status[viii].

OSINT Framework and Subdisciplines in Food Fraud Detection

In US Law[ix], OSINT is "intelligence derived from publicly available information and gathered, exploited, and disseminated in a timely fashion to an effective audience meeting a particular intelligence requirement." The framework includes several specialist intelligence disciplines, which work together to uncover and deter food fraud. Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT) monitors web-based discussions and trends, and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) analyses spatial information and satellite imagery. Human Intelligence (HUMINT) provides context through ground-level insights from industry participants and observers.

SOCMINT has proven particularly effective in the early detection of food fraud incidents, with analysis of social media platforms showing a 75% success rate in identifying emerging food safety issues before traditional reporting methods[x]. The discipline excels in monitoring consumer discussions and complaints across various platforms, enabling rapid identification of potential food fraud incidents. Analysts track unusual pricing patterns that might indicate counterfeit or adulterated products entering the market. The technology also helps identify unauthorised sellers and detect counterfeit product advertisements across multiple social media platforms, warning early of potential fraud schemes.

GEOINT combines satellite imagery, mapping tools, and other location-based data to verify supply chain claims and detect anomalies. Recent studies indicate that GEOINT applications have successfully identified 30% of mislabelled organic farming operations by analysing land use patterns and agricultural practices. The technology has proven instrumental in detecting 45% of illegal fishing activities by tracking vessel movements and fishing patterns. Additionally, GEOINT has exposed 25% of fraudulent transportation routes by comparing declared shipping paths with actual vessel and vehicle movements[xi].

HUMINT provides essential context through a network of human sources and observation points throughout the supply chain. This includes whistleblower programs[xii] which have become increasingly sophisticated, offering secure channels for reporting suspected fraud. Industry informants also provide crucial insights into emerging fraud techniques and potential vulnerabilities. Supply chain worker interviews help establish patterns of suspicious activity, while market surveillance operations gather real-time intelligence about product movement and pricing anomalies. Integration of HUMINT with other OSINT disciplines has been shown to improve success rates by 40%[xiii].

Furthermore, companies could insist that their whistleblowing mechanism be opened to employees of all their suppliers, providing a rich vein of first-hand accounts to help identify potential issues before they result in a significant instance of food fraud.

FURTHER OSINT USE-CASES

Some additional areas where OSINT can play a transformative role in combating food fraud include:

Supply Chain Transparency and Traceability

The capability to shine a light across the entire food supply chain, from raw material sourcing to final product distribution, is invaluable in identifying food fraud. By collecting and analysing information from publicly available sources such as ship and container tracking data, customs records, trade documents, and regulatory filings, OSINT investigators can identify discrepancies in supply chain claims. For example, if a food producer claims to source seafood from sustainable fisheries but shipping records show imports from regions known for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices or locations with weak compliance with environmental regulations, this could indicate potential food fraud.

Use Case: Imagine a UK company that specialises in seafood products and builds its brand around claims that its produce is sourced sustainably from the North Atlantic. However, The Food Standards Agency[xiv] received an anonymous allegation that the companies claim is far from the truth. OSINT investigators are deployed to establish if the allegation is credible. They compare shipping manifests and customs data, identifying that a significant proportion of the company's imports come from Southeast Asia, a region known to have high levels of IUU fishing[xv]. The company cannot satisfactorily explain this discrepancy, and enforcement action is taken, resulting in a penalty and damage to their reputation.

Monitoring E-commerce Platforms

Online marketplaces such as Facebook, Amazon, Lazada, eBay, and others on the dark web are often used to sell counterfeit or mislabelled food products. OSINT can monitor these platforms for food fraud red flags, such as products with unusually low prices, vague or outlandish descriptions, or bogus certifications.

The monitoring programme can also target specific products, such as counterfeit baby formula milk, generating alerts that enable enforcement agencies to intervene before the product floods the market.

Further, monitoring marketplaces can help detect previously unidentified product leakage and trigger companies to examine or investigate their stock and distribution management processes more closely.

Use Case: An OSINT investigator identifies a seller on Facebook marketplace offering "organic honey" at a fraction of the market price. They concluded that the honey was adulterated with sugar syrup by analysing product descriptions, customer feedback, and reviews. Given that this is a well-documented and persistent threat to the integrity of the honey-production sector[xvi], Facebook was alerted, and the fraudulent seller was removed. OSINT tools and techniques were then used to identify further accounts connected to that of the seller so that they could be monitored for potential future offences.

Early Detection of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

One serious consequence of food fraud is the risk it can pose to public health. The introduction of harmful contaminants or allergens into the food supply by food fraudsters is one of the major causes of foodborne illnesses[xvii], affecting one in four US residents each year[xviii]. By analysing social media posts, news reports, and health forums, OSINT can help detect early signs of foodborne illness outbreaks by identifying spikes in complaints or comments that could indicate an issue. This allows authorities to trace the source of contamination and make appropriate interventions before the outbreak spreads further.

For example, in 2013, the Chicago Department of Public Health launched the FoodBorne Chicago program, which identified tweets mentioning "food poisoning." This enabled health officials to respond to the original posters, encouraging them to report the establishment responsible and providing a link to the relevant complaint form. Over the next ten months, this led to enforcement at 21 different establishments due to failed health inspections[xix].

Use Case: An OSINT investigator detects a spike in social media posts about food poisoning in a specific region. Further analysis reveals that most affected individuals consumed a particular brand of frozen sausages. Authorities are alerted, and the product is recalled before more people fall ill.

Counterfeit Certification and Labelling

One of the challenges relating to food certifications such as "organic" or "fair-trade" is the ease with which food fraudsters can mislabel a product to make it look authentic. OSINT can help verify the authenticity of these claims by querying information available from sources such as certification databases, company records, regulatory filings, and public statements.

Use Case: A company advertises its chocolate products as "fair-trade certified;" however, OSINT analysts checked the official fair-trade certification database[xx] and found no record of the company. This discovery led to further investigation and enforcement action, preventing consumers from being misled.

Dark Web Monitoring for Illicit Food Traders

The dark web often sells counterfeit or dangerous food products, such as adulterated alcohol or mislabelled meat. OSINT can monitor dark web marketplaces and forums for such activities. Companies with well-known brands may also use OSINT tools and techniques as an early warning system to detect counterfeit products as soon as they enter the market.

Use Case: A premium-brand whisky producer analyses OSINT from the dark web and discovers a marketplace with a trader offering their product at a highly discounted price point. A test purchase confirms that the product is counterfeit. Authorities are notified, and the counterfeit operation is shut down before the products reach consumers.

Integrating OSINT into Food Supply Chain Security

Implementation of OSINT in the food sector requires an integrated approach. Enforcement agencies, government departments, private companies, and non-governmental organisations such as trade bodies must collaborate to share intelligence swiftly. As OSINT deals with information in the public domain, in theory, information sharing between stakeholders should be easier.

A layered defence strategy that combines real-time data monitoring, intelligence sharing, and physical inspections can significantly lower the risk of large-scale food fraud incidents.

A simple but powerful example is the EU Agri-Food Fraud Network[xxi], which coordinates with member states to share open-source intelligence and encourages them to take joint action whenever suspicious behaviours or patterns surface.

CONCLUSION

OSINT has been a game-changer in the battle against food fraud, giving unprecedented insight into vulnerabilities in the supply chain and helping identify criminal behaviour. With improved detection capabilities and lower costs compared to conventional intelligence gathering processes, OSINT is a strategic investment for all food safety stakeholders.

As criminal intelligence and food supply chains evolve, similar progressive measures should be embraced to help protect consumers and maintain market integrity.

OSINT and its constituent subdisciplines offer an adaptive toolkit. By exploring publicly available data streams, conducting geospatial pattern analysis, and deciphering social media discourse, the industry, law enforcement institutions, and investigators can become increasingly nimble and focused on responding more effectively to evolving threats.

Ultimately, OSINT's transparency and real-time detection capabilities will be central to maintaining food authenticity and consumer trust. As the dynamics of the food sector continue to grow, OSINT's role will be increasingly crucial because it has already become a game-changer.

Authored by: The Coalition of Cyber Investigators.

© 2025 The Coalition of Cyber Investigators. All rights reserved.

The Coalition of Cyber Investigators is a collaboration between:

Paul Wright (United Kingdom) - Experienced Cybercrime, Intelligence (OSINT & HUMINT) and Digital Forensics Investigator; and

Neal Ysart (Philippines) - Elite Investigator & Strategic Risk Advisor, Ex-Big 4 Forensic Leader.

With over 80 years of combined hands-on experience, Paul and Neal remain actively engaged in their field.

They established the Coalition to provide a platform to collaborate and share their expertise and analysis of topical issues in the converging domains of investigations, digital forensics and OSINT. Recognising that this convergence has created grey areas around critical topics, including the admissibility of evidence, process integrity, ethics, contextual analysis and validation, the coalition is Paul and Neal’s way of contributing to a discussion that is essential if the unresolved issues around OSINT derived evidence are to be addressed effectively. Please feel free to share this article and contribute your views.

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