FSA Boosts Powers to Crack Down on Food Fraud
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) in England and Wales has been granted additional investigatory powers to combat food fraud, effective today, May 2, 2025.
These new powers, granted under The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), will enable NFCU investigators to:
- Apply for and execute search warrants: This crucial ability will allow the NFCU to more effectively and directly access premises where food crime is suspected, gather evidence, and prevent the destruction of incriminating materials. Previously, the NFCU relied on partner organizations like the police for this capability.
This development comes nearly a decade after the NFCU was established in 2015 following the Elliot Review, which was conducted in response to the 2013 horse meat scandal. Since its inception, the NFCU has worked to prevent food fraud and support businesses in ensuring the safety and authenticity of the food they sell.
Key benefits of these new powers:
- More effective investigations: The NFCU can now progress investigations more directly and efficiently.
- Faster response to intelligence: The ability to quickly obtain and execute search warrants will allow for quicker action when food fraud is suspected.
- Increased protection for consumers and businesses: By more effectively tackling food fraud, the FSA aims to maintain consumer confidence in the food supply chain and protect legitimate businesses from unfair competition.
- Freeing up police resources: As the NFCU gains more independent capabilities, it will reduce its reliance on the police for certain aspects of investigations, allowing police resources to be directed to other priorities.
What is Food Crime?
The FSA defines food crime as serious fraud and related criminality in food supply chains. This includes activities such as:
- Adulteration: Adding inferior or undeclared substances to food products.
- Misrepresentation: Providing false information about the origin, nature, or quality of food.
- Substitution: Replacing a higher-value ingredient with a lower-value one without proper labelling.
- Use of stolen food: Introducing stolen food into the supply chain.
- Illegal processing: Operating outside of legal regulations, such as unlawful slaughter.
- Waste diversion: Illegally diverting food waste back into the food chain.
- Document fraud: Falsifying records related to food products.
The FSA encourages anyone with suspicions of food crime to report it to Food Crime Confidential online or by phone at 0800 028 1180 (or 0207 276 8787 for non-UK mobiles and calls).
These new powers represent a significant step in the FSA’s ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity of the UK food system and protect consumers from fraudulent and potentially unsafe food practices.
Original story: FSA
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