Jun 6th, 2022
3 mins
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 a law enforcement unit of the FSA and it 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 28 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).
Stakeholders in England and Wales are invited to respond to the twelve-week consultation. Separate legislation governing investigatory powers applies in Northern Ireland. The FSA 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.
The consultation is available on the FSA website, where you can also find out about the work of the NFCU.
