The unit responsible for policing food crime in England and Wales has been granted long-awaited new powers of investigation in a boost to its operational capabilities.
From May 1st, nearly a decade after the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) was set up following the horsemeat scandal, new powers under The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) will enable investigators to apply for and execute search warrants.
The NFCU has previously said not having access to these powers has created a significant disadvantage to its officers and resulted in a high dependence on the support of partners, such as local authorities and the police, who themselves have limited resources and competing priorities.
“These new powers are a vital tool to ensure that NFCU investigations can be progressed more directly and effectively,” said Andrew Quinn, head of the NFCU. “Our investigators will be able to apply for and execute search warrants, increasing our ability to respond quickly to intelligence and to continue to ensure that swift action is taken to tackle food fraud.”
Chris Elliott, professor of food safety and microbiology at Queen’s University Belfast, who first called for the establishment of the NFCU in his review into the horsemeat scandal, said the powers were of “huge importance” in the on-going fight against food crime in the UK.
“The ability to enter and search premises immediately following the arrest of suspects will make it much more difficult for criminals to dispose of incriminating evidence and cover their tracks,” Elliott said. “I have supported this advance in the unit’s powers for many years and am delighted to see them coming into force. The many bona fide food businesses and UK consumers will be better protected as a result.”
Experts believe the risk of the UK being a target for food fraud remains high, despite businesses putting in new safeguards following the horsemeat scandal. Fears have recently been raised over the high volume of unsafe meat entering the UK from Europe. In the first two days of February alone, Dover Port Health Authority (DPHA) removed almost four tonnes of illegal meat products that had crossed the channel, despite the team operating at just 20% capacity due to resource constraints.
DPHA head Lucy Manzano told a recent Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee inquiry: “You may well be going out for dinner in normal-looking establishments and be consuming meat that has not been correctly processed.”
