What is food fraud, and why should it be considered a global security issue?

In this episode of Siren Investigates, we explore the hidden world of food fraud and the vulnerabilities that exist across global food and agricultural value chains, from fraudulent seafood and honey to the manipulation of provenance, documentation and supply routes. The discussion examines why food fraud is far more than mislabelling, and how it can intersect with organised crime, financial crime, human trafficking and wider security risks.

The conversation also looks at the challenge of tracing goods from farm to fork, particularly where products pass through multiple producers, intermediaries, processors, brokers, ports and countries before reaching consumers. The episode explores how weaknesses in traceability can create opportunities for fraudulent goods to enter legitimate supply chains.

A major theme is the role technology could play in creating greater trust.

The discussion considers blockchain and distributed ledger technology, digital identity and what the guest describes through the law-enforcement concept of a“chain of custody” for goods. Rather than simply making information public, the episode explores the idea of “translucency”, where information is available to authorised parties when deeper investigation or verification is required.

The episode also explores where Siren can contribute: helping investigators bring different datasets together to uncover relationships and anomalies that may not be visible within individual systems. The conversation discusses connecting supply-chain data with information about companies, directors, financial relationships, commodity trading and other sources to build a much fuller picture of potentially transnational networks.