The Food Standard Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has been given additional powers under The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) to apply for and execute search warrants.
The news comes almost a decade after the Unit was set up, following the 2013 horse meat scandal.
Since then, the NFCU has grown with the aim of preventing food fraud and supporting businesses to meet their responsibilities to make and sell safe food, alongside working with with partner organisations such as the police and local authorities to deter and prosecute offenders.
The hope is that these additional powers, which come into effect today (1 May 2025), will free up police and local authorities’ resources.
“These new powers are a vital tool to ensure that NFCU investigations can be progressed more directly and effectively. 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,” commented Andrew Quinn, head of the NFCU.
“Consumer confidence in the safety and authenticity of food is high, part of an environment which helps create the conditions for British businesses to flourish. We’ll still be working closely with partners like Police and Local Authorities, and our new powers will free up their vital resources so they can be diverted to other priorities while we have more capabilities to protect legitimate businesses and consumers.”
Professor Chris Eliott, who recommended the unit be formed after the horse meat scandal, added: “The new powers that have been given to the FSA’s NFCU are 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.
“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.”