Counterfeit wines and spirits has cost Italy more than 300 million euros in 5 years

The numbers the European Union Intellectual Property Office, EUIPO in its campaign “What’s on the table?” published for the World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, held on June 12th, denouncing the worrying threat of counterfeit food and drink products throughout the European Union. More than 5.300 jobs in the 27 EU countries have been lost due to this phenomenon. The numbers EUIPO published are as follows: two billion euros in the 27 countries of the European Union area, rising to 2.29 billion euros, when the United Kingdom is added, totaling 5.3% lost in sales. This is the significant economic impact that has affected the wine and spirits sector, one of the hardest hit by counterfeiting, during the 2013-2017 period. Italy, especially, has felt the impact as it lost 302 million euros (4.4% in lost sales) and 648 lost jobs. These figures place Italy behind only Spain (380 million euros and 1.126 lost jobs) and France (316 million euros and 1.193 lost jobs, which is highest number), and ahead of Germany (279 million euros). There was a significant loss of tax revenue deriving from these products as well, equal to 2.068 million euros for the area.
“Europol’s 2025 report”, a note explained, “regarding the assessment of the threat of serious and organized crime (SOCTA), highlights the fact that the growth of e-commerce has offered counterfeiters new opportunities to distribute fraudulent food products, making it more and more difficult for consumers to identify authentic products. Criminals manipulate food labels and packaging as well as modifying production processes, targeting high value products. Law enforcement operations in the field have also highlighted the dimensions of the problem. The joint Europol-INTERPOL OPSON operation conducted every year, has led to seizing counterfeit and lower-quality food products worth 91 million euros in 2024”. The operation led to the seizure of 22.000 tons of food and around 850.000 liters of drinks (mostly alcoholic), EUIPO explained. Food products, especially biscuits, pasta, crisps and confectionery, were the second most seized product category at the EU’s external borders in 2020. As EUIPO explained, “Counterfeiting of beverages, especially alcoholic beverages, is a very big and serious problem, as organized criminal groups are using sophisticated methods to deceive consumers. Counterfeiters often reuse original bottles or print fake labels to affix to empty bottles, making it harder for consumers and authorities to distinguish legitimate products from fake ones”.
%UIPO’s “What’s on the table?” campaign provides practical advice to consumers on how to protect themselves from counterfeit products. Consumers are strongly encouraged to buy from official retailers and distribution channels, as well as official brand websites, to avoid buying counterfeit products. Checking the product’s labeling and origin as well as checking for certification logos can help confirm the legitimacy of the product. Specifically, it explained, consumers should look for official EU Geographical Indication (GI) labels, such as PDO, PGI and TSG, to ensure the authenticity of the products they are buying. It is also important to examine the packaging and the product itself very carefully, because counterfeit products often have finishing defects or spelling errors. Using authentication tools, such as QR codes and holograms, can further help verify that the product is authentic.
“Counterfeit food and drink products”, João Negrão, Executive Director of EUIPO, explained, “are a serious threat to public health. Our campaign aims to provide consumers with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, as well as supporting legitimate businesses that comply with European Union quality standards. We must all, authorities, producers and consumers, fight this battle together”.