A Growing Threat in Europe

Counterfeit alcohol is no longer a niche issue—it’s a pan-European epidemic. According to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO):

• Nearly €2.29 billion in wine and spirits revenue is lost each year due to counterfeiting, wiping out close to 5,700 jobs.
• In 2024, authorities seized 850,000 litres of fake alcohol, often laced with methanol, mercury, or pesticides.
• Food and beverage items are now the second most frequently seized counterfeit category in the EU—on par with fashion and electronics.

‍

The Bottle Reuse Scam

A particularly deceptive tactic is bottle reuse fraud, where empty, authentic bottles are:

• Refilled with inferior or contaminated liquids
• Resealed using counterfeit closures
• Resold into legitimate-looking retail or bar channels

Criminal networks leverage this scam by:

• Targeting premium packaging that retains resale value
• Exploiting weak post-sale labeling and a lack of tamper-evident features
• Profiting massively: replacing 1 litre of fine wine or spirits with a cheaper substitute multiplies illicit earnings

Unlike visual-only labels, ForgeStop provides encrypted, real-time scan data, tamper-evidence, and geolocation tracking. Here’s why QR codes are failing and how NFC solves that.

‍

Why Current Anti-Fraud Measures Are Failing

Regulatory advice typically includes:

• Verifying Spanish PDO/PGI indicators
• Inspecting bottle condition and spelling errors
• Only buying from trusted suppliers

These steps, however, are reactive and ineffective:

• Consumers bear the burden of authentication
• Enforcement comes post-market, often after injuries or deaths
• No preventative solution exists to invalidate reused bottles at the point of refill

To better understand the broader packaging weaknesses and solutions, explore the latest in anti-counterfeit packaging solutions.

‍

How ForgeStop’s NFC Smart Labels Stop the Scam

ForgeStop’s InfoTAP NFC smart label system takes a proactive, technology-driven approach to bottle security:

• Permanent NFC tags embedded into the cap or neck: any attempt to refill breaks the tag, nullifying verification
• One-tap authentication with NFC-enabled smartphones—no app needed
• Encrypted cloud logs capture every scan: time, location, and handler—detecting diversion or bottle reuse
• Optionally delivers branded content like vintage notes, food pairings, or sustainability stories

This turns every bottle into a self-validating, traceable unit, delivering confidence to consumers and insights to producers.

‍

‍
Call to Action

The EU’s counterfeit crisis can’t be solved with packaging as usual. ForgeStop’s NFC smart labels offer real-time protection, actionable traceability, and brand integrity preservation.

‍

Want to protect your bottles—and your consumers?
Contact ForgeStop today to see how InfoTAP prevents bottle reuse fraud and ensures every sip is the real deal.

‍

Sources

• EUIPO: Counterfeit wine & spirits cause €2.29 billion annual loss
• 2024: 850,000 litres of toxic counterfeit alcohol seized
• Food & beverage now second-most targeted counterfeit category

‍