The UK National Food Crime Unit's self-assessment questionaire has recently been revised. This 20-minute prompt to check for best practice in fraud resilience is particularly aimed at Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
A curated link to the NFCU self-assessment is within the "Tools" list on the "Food Fraud Prevention" FAN pages. It is always worth a quick check for other tools on the list which might be a good fit for your own organisation.
'Our Food 2023: An annual review of food standards across the UK.' has been published today by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).
This is the third in a series of annual reports since the UK left the EU. Our Food 2023 is an evidence-based assessment of food standards across all four nations of the UK.
The analysis conducted suggests that food standards in the UK remained stable during 2023. Yet there are questions about the resilience of our food system for the future. So, FSA and FSS are highlighting three areas that government, businesses and regulators need to work together to address.
1️⃣ More needs to be done to ensure that consumers can access safe, nutritious food against a backdrop of rising prices.
2️⃣ After a long-term decline in numbers, pressure on the local authority workforce continues, with a significant backlog in the number of food businesses awaiting inspection.
3️⃣ Without a reliable and secure resourcing model for Official Veterinarians, there is increased risk of disruption to the UK meat chain in the years ahead due to staff shortages, as well as increasing costs that will be passed on to businesses and consumers.
FSA and FSS are asking government, industry and regulators to work together on these and the other challenges highlighted in this report. The cooperation of everyone in the food system, from government departments and food businesses, to our colleagues in local authorities, remains essential for ensuring people have access to safe, healthy and sustainable food.
Read the full report.
As the world's human population grows and climate change impacts food security, digital technologies are becoming increasingly critical for ensuring transparency, resilience, and fairness across the food system.
However, technology and digitalisation are often expensive and can be out of reach for small-scale farms and businesses. So, how can we ensure these technologies are available to all stakeholders, and the associated food is affordable for all consumers?
Here are four ways that technology can increase food system transparency, resilience and fairness (FAO report: Five ways science, technology and innovation are helping to transform the world's agrifood systems):
Read EIT-Food's blog on how can digital technologies increase food system transparency, resilience, and fairness?
Horizon Europe Cluster 6 Work Programme 2021-2022 on Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment includes two proposed calls related to food authenticty:
Further information can be found at: wp-9-food-bioeconomy-natural-resources-agriculture-and-environment_horizon-2021-2022_en.pdf (europa.eu)
The commission are also hosting a number of information days that run until 16 July for those who might be interested in preparing a proposal. Homepage | Horizon Europe Info Days 2021 (horizon-europe-infodays2021.eu)
This site also contains a document library under each topic with useful information.
For UK specific information visit: https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support/horizon-2020-business-grants-uk
The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has developed this food fraud resilience self-assessment tool to support businesses in developing and implementing their counter-fraud strategy.
The self-assessment tool covers different areas that businesses will need to be aware of so that they can better identify and address process issues.
The tool is made up of 7 sections and provides advice for countering food fraud. These questions will help you to evaluate your business and identify areas for improvement. The tool will not provide you with a final score.
This can be completed anonymously and any data submitted will not be collected in a way that could identify you. The tool should take no more than 15 minutes to use.
If you have further questions for the NFCU Prevention Team, or would like support in building your business's fraud resilience, provide your email address at the end of the tool or contact us directly at NFCU.Prevention@food.gov.uk.
Access the NFCU's food fraud resilience self-assessment tool here.
Following the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), BSI has considered how it can actively support and contribute towards the collective efforts in mitigating the potential risks caused by this global health issue amongst the UK business community.
It reviewed the information available to it and as a result, BSI has worked with international standards organizations to make these standards accessible for the purposes of organizations that are involved in the UK COVID-19 response.
Continuity and Resilience
Risk Management
Community Resilience
Emergency Management
These standards offer information and practical advice for businesses and individuals, which help the business community navigate the challenges and potential risks associated with the current global crisis.
BSI will constantly be reviewing the situation in order to ensure that we are working with businesses in the most effective and supportive way in these extraordinary times.
