May 10th, 2023
3 mins
The FSA has announced that, in light of a criminal investigation being carried out by the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) into suspected meat fraud, it will be looking to explore improvements to the current system to protect against rogue actors and criminal activity.
In a recently published blog Emily Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA said “I am pleased to say that a number of industry groups and representatives have agreed to work in collaboration with the FSA to explore improvements to the current system. These include the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, the British Meat Processors Association, the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation, the Food Industry Intelligence Network, and Red Tractor”.
Miles pledged to:
- Review the scope for a single telephone number or website that whistle-blowers can contact to report concerns about food businesses. There are currently multiple telephone lines run by industry bodies, as well as one run by the FSA.
- See how to strengthen the role that third-party audits can play in passing on information to regulators to help prevent food fraud. Third-party audits are used by retailers and others to check their own supply chains.
- Review the best format and mechanism for the FSA to share intelligence-based alerts to better warn businesses about problems in supply chains.
A working group is now being convened with industry with a first meeting planned for May.
