A Food Standards Agency National Food Crime Unit operation has resulted in one arrest and the seizure of huge volumes of suspected illegal food products across England, Wales and Scotland.
Following the arrest, NFCU Officers, working alongside local authority partners, disposed of 25 tonnes of suspected illegal frozen food products in June. The man was later released under investigation and enquiries remain ongoing.
The operation, which brought together multiple partners across law enforcement and local authorities including the Greater Manchester and Staffordshire Police, as well as Stoke-on-Trent City Council, found frozen food products with fraudulent labels and no traceability.
Local Authorities have seized more than 8 tonnes in 111 visits to businesses, with 33 tonnes seized in total since the operation began. Amid growing concern within the livestock sector about the disease risk posed by the UK’s illegal meat trade, investigations into the wider trade of suspected illegal food products are continuing.
The FSA said there was no indication of a health risk to the public, although it urged people who have concerns about a product they have purchased, contact your local Environmental Health Team.
Strong message
Wayne Parker, senior Investigator at the FSA’s NFCU said: “Seizing over 33 tonnes of suspected illegal frozen food products and making an arrest sends a strong message to those who seek to profit from deceiving consumers: we will take action.
“This operation is a clear example of what we can achieve when agencies work together with a shared purpose. I want to thank all partners involved in this operation for their professionalism and commitment throughout.”
Andrew Quinn, head of the FSA’s NFCU said: “Food fraud is not a victimless crime. It undermines legitimate businesses and erodes consumer trust. In this case, the concern is one of traceability and food safety: mislabelled frozen food products can pose health risks. The NFCU remains committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that criminal activity has no place in the UK food system.”
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesperson said: “This is a great result. Removing more than 33 tonnes of suspected illegal frozen food from sale and making it clear that we won’t tolerate businesses who try to mislead customers. We alerted the FSA to investigations we carried out earlier this year, which found a premises was selling frozen food products with fraudulent labels and no traceability.
“Cases like these pose a safety issue to the public and we are continuing to take firm action to remove these products from the market and have been contacting premises who may have received affected products and ensure they are withdrawn and recalled.”
- If you suspect food fraud, report it to Food Crime Confidential online or by phoning 0800 028 1180 (020 7276 8787 for non-UK mobiles and calls).