Jul 10th, 2023
2 mins
The Food Standards Agency have launched a consultation to gather stakeholder views on the proposal to give the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) further additional enhanced investigatory powers.
The proposal is that the NFCU should be granted the additional investigatory power set out in section 18 of PACE. This would give them the power of entry and search after a person has been arrested, of any premises they occupy or control, without the need for a warrant.
It is proposed that enhanced investigatory powers would enable the NFCU to more effectively detect and investigate food crime.
The FSA’s remit extends to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Whilst it is the FSA’s ambition to obtain additional investigatory powers for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the scope of this consultation is exclusively for England and Wales. A separate consultation will be held for Northern Ireland in due course.
You will find the consultation here. Responses should be sent to nfcuconsultation@food.gov.uk by close of play 6th August 2023.
