Fake food discovered in Ukrainian crackdown

The authorities in Ukraine have exposed an organised crime ring involved in the production of counterfeit food products mimicking well-known brands, seizing items worth almost $500,000.

The food products – including canned goods and condensed milk – were being made in unsanitary conditions, placing consumers who bought them at risk of serious health issues, according to the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine. The goods were being supplied to retail outlets and markets under the guise of being genuine products.

Raids uncovered tonnes of falsified products and raw materials used to make them, along with packaging equipment, printing materials, financial documents, and vehicles.

The fakes included almost 24 tonnes of products claimed to be made by HJ Brüggen KG, a Franco-Polish producer of breakfast cereals and other cereal-based products, as well as counterfeit products purported to be from French vegetable specialist Bonduelle and Ukraine's Babusyn Produkt, Aquamarine, and Veres companies.

The seized items have been confirmed as counterfeit by the brand owners, according to ESBU, which added that an investigation to identify the individuals involved I the counterfeiting ring is ongoing.

According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), there are significant food shortages in Ukraine as Russia's most recent invasion of the country's sovereign territory approaches the end of its fourth year. Earlier this year, the WFP said it was providing food and cash assistance to nearly 1.5m Ukrainians each month, mostly in the frontline regions.