In supermarkets across Europe, inflation is leading to a surge in food theft, French daily Le Monde reports. Self-checkout machines are becoming a common target for shoplifters. In response, self-checkout makers are turning to Artificial Intelligence to reinforce self-checkout security.

In the Eurozone, annual food inflation reached 15% in February, with France at 14.5%, Germany at 22%, and Baltic countries at 25%-30%.

The article interviewed retailers from France, UK, Greece, and Germany, where stores have already put up additional security measures for high-risk merchandise. The article notes that even steaks, meat, and milk products are now regarded as high-risk – with merchandise such as steaks or salmon filets put into plastic security boxes with electronic trackers.

Retailers are often thin-lipped about the issues of shoplifting, with reliable data hard to come by. Yet the French Security Professions Organization noted that food theft has increased by 10% since the beginning of 2023. Police and gendarmerie report a 14.7% uptick in shoplifting incidents. In the UK the figure has increased by 16%. In Spain – by 30.2%.

“Theft issues are becoming the main topic in the retail industry”, said Chairman of the Board at ScanWatch Evaldas Budvilaitis when speaking to Le Monde.