The food industry and thus consumers are vulnerable to fraud. So says an interim report by Prof Chris Elliott ahead of the report proper in the spring into the horse meat scandal. He said: “The UK food industry works hard to deliver safe, competitively priced products for consumers, especially in the current financial climate where household budgets are under severe pressure. However, a significant change in culture is needed to deal with the threats of fraudulent activity that exist along complex supply chains. My review to date has identified a worrying lack of knowledge regarding the extent to which we are dealing with criminals infiltrating the food industry. I believe criminal networks have begun to see the potential for huge profits and low risks in this area.”
For the interim Elliott Review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks, visit – https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/264997/pb14089-elliot-review-interim-20131212.pdf
In June 2013 he was asked by the Secretaries of State for Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to conduct a review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks. In Otober Prof Elliott wrote to the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt: ”Food fraud is a complex issue and it is not always clear, particularly when first uncovered, whether or not a food fraud problem might also be a public health problem. This was an issue with the recent horsemeat incident which was considered a potential health risk. On that basis it I believe that it is sensible and prudent to assume all food fraud may be a potential risk to public health unless proven otherwise. The question must be asked of any food business operator whose controls are lax enough to allow fraud is it likely to have taken sufficient steps to guard against a potential risk to public health.”
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said it welcomed the Elliott report. BRC Director General Helen Dickinson said: “The report is an important and thorough contribution to the review of supply chains. We are pleased Prof Elliott makes it clear UK supply chains are amongst the safest in the world and that he is addressing the specific issue of food crime, an issue that warrants serious attention. We absolutely share his focus on consumer confidence; it is at the heart of all retailers’ businesses.
“Major retailers and the BRC have been addressing many of the issues raised in his report since the horsemeat incident, building on existing controls on safety to deal with issues of fraud. Retailers have reviewed and revised their supply chains, improved the way they audit their suppliers, targeted testing and worked with the BRC and industry partners to improve the exchange of intelligence.
“The BRC has reviewed its food certification scheme to account for issues raised in the incident. It already offers unannounced audits as well as a scheme covering distribution but will add to these a certified scheme for agents and brokers in the New Year. We look forward to working with Professor Elliott on the implementation of this new scheme and continued delivery of the storage and distribution standard.
“We know the importance of intelligence in tackling fraud and have consistently pushed the Government to improve the flow of information in Europe. We welcome the Professor’s comments on ensuring information flows from industry whilst preserving commercial confidence and are examining the best mechanism for providing that to the FSA.
“We also welcome the Professor’s comments on increasing the Government focus on food fraud. We certainly don’t see it as a victimless crime and look forward to new proposals to target criminals.”
Visit: http://www.brc.org.uk
And Liz Moran, President of the Association of Public Analysts, said: “I welcome the findings and recommendations of this interim report. The issue of the provision of enforcement laboratories is very important. Public analysts and their laboratories play a crucial role in the protection of the public from food fraud and steps must be taken to maintain the UK’s capacity. I welcome debate on how this capacity should be provided and look forward to hearing the views of members and other stakeholders over the coming months.”
