FSA report on the changing UK food crime landscape since 2020

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have published the 2024 Food Crime Strategic Assessment, which examines the various factors influencing food crime in the UK. Since the last strategic assessment in 2020, the UK food supply chain has faced significant disruption, changing the food crime landscape and creating new opportunities for fraud.

The assessment outlines several emerging threats, including the involvement of insiders within the food industry who use their knowledge to commit and cover up crimes. The report finds that both domestic and international actors are involved in food crime. While many of the threats identified in 2020 remain, new challenges have emerged due to economic conditions, geopolitical events and changes in the regulatory framework for food.

The main methods of food crime include misrepresentation, adulteration, substitution, unlawful processing, waste diversion, theft and document fraud. Certain types of food crime have been linked to specific commodities, most notably: mislabelling/misrepresentation of red meat and poultry, waste diversion of red meat and poultry by-products, the illegal handling or importation of lamb and pork, and adulteration and misrepresentation of imported goods.

The report also highlighted that certain supply chains are at high risk of authenticity issues occurring upstream of the supply chain and therefore require vigilance and monitoring domestically, particularly for olive oil, honey and herbs. In addition, it pointed to a general increase in the availability of illegally imported goods, so-called “grey market goods”.

Other issues related to food crime identified in the report include:

• Pork: False information about quality, date and country of origin as well as livestock theft
• Beef: Document fraud enables fraudulent entry of cattle into the food chain
• Lamb: Cattle theft, illegal production and distribution by an organised criminal group, adulteration and substitution
• Chicken: Misrepresentation and waste prevention
• Raw animal feed: Unlicensed and unauthorized production and handling of raw animal feed from animal by-products
• Shellfish: A reduce in the illegal procurement of goods on land, which is accompanied by a decrease in reports of document fraud, document exchange and falsification
• Fish: A low level of fish substitutes in the catering trade and the risk of incorrect declaration of the country of origin for Russian fish
• Alcohol: Product counterfeiting and low substitution rate in the hospitality industry
• Sustainable products: A low level of casual and unsubstantiated use of bio terminology and claims.

In the food service sector, reports of illegal activity cover a wide range of crime types and commodities. Spot checks have revealed weaknesses in takeaway foods with regard to substituting highly seasoned or processed proteins.

In addition, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) was reclassified as a poison in 2023 and responsibility for its regulation was transferred to UK law enforcement. It continues to pose a risk to public health. The report highlights the importance of collaboration between the FSA and its police partners to address this and other food fraud risks, particularly in difficult economic times.

Over the next 12 to 24 months, the FSA will closely monitor food crime threats in the context of evolving border controls.