The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation seeking views from the public, public health professionals and food sector partners on the proposed enhancement of the investigatory powers of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU).
The NFCU is the law enforcement unit of the FSA and tackles serious, organised, or complex cases of crime in relation to food. Its role is to detect, investigate and disrupt serious fraud and related criminality within food supply chains, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which received Royal Assent on 28th April includes a regulation-making power for the Secretary of State to confer additional investigatory powers upon food crime officers of the FSA in England and Wales.
The Act also brings the NFCU under the remit of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
FSA stakeholders in England and Wales are subsequently invited to respond to a 12-week consultation on the proposed investigatory powers. Separate legislation governing investigatory powers applies in Northern Ireland. The FSA said that it intends to hold a consultation for Northern Ireland in due course.
This consultation does not apply to Scotland, where Food Standards Scotland’s dedicated Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit is responsible for delivering the food crime response.
Robust controls and external scrutiny
FSA chief executive Emily Miles said that the NFCU needs to be able to “do its work effectively and efficiently to protect consumers and businesses from food fraud.”
She explained: “To do this, the proposed changes are a crucial/vital tool to make sure that investigations can happen more quickly, while also freeing up local police services so their vital resources can be diverted to other priorities.
“At the same time, any use of these investigatory techniques will be restrained, focussing on effective regulation to prevent and detect food crime, and subject to robust controls and external scrutiny.”
Miles added: “We remain committed to using any enhanced powers in a proportionate way that keeps the public safe, with strengthened safeguards and oversight arrangements to guard against their abuse. We encourage everyone who wants to have their say to respond so that they can inform our work in the future.”
The consultation is available on the FSA website, which also features more information about the work of the NFCU.
