News

The report from the 12^th internationally-co-ordinated police investigation into food crime (Opson) has been published.  This cycle of the operation focussed on Europe and involved only Europol rather than Interpol.  The report highlights a significant increase in findings of fraudulent recycling of spoiled or expired food to reduce production costs (although this was a foreseen risk, and so deliberately targeted when the operation was planned).   The misuse of protected food names was also the focus of the operational activities. In the United Kingdom, authorities performed checks on protected food name products in food service establishments, such as restaurants, and in individual retailers. The checks identified cases of non-compliance with products, such as feta, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano cheeses, and meats such as Prosciutto di Parma and products of UK origin such as Welsh beef, Cornish pasties and watercress. The checks identified mislabelling, the temporary unavailability of a specified ingredient in restaurants, but also a lack of understanding of the regulations governing the use of protected food names.