UK Food Crime Units

The Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works with partners to protect consumers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from serious criminal activity that impacts on the safety or authenticity of the food and drink they consume.

Food Crime Confidential

Food Crime Confidential is a reporting facility through which anyone with suspicions about food crime can report these safely and in confidence, over the phone or online. The facility is particularly targeted at those working in or around the UK food industry but is open to anyone who wishes to report or raise concerns about food crime.

The NFCU defines food crime as serious fraud and related criminality within food supply chains, and encourage the sharing of any information, however seemingly insignificant, relating to suspected activity of this nature. In addition to identifying and being able to tackle specific instances of food crime, such information will help us learn more about the circumstances that make offending possible and to design and implement preventative measures to impede potential offenders and improve the fraud resilience of those who could become victims.

Watch this video on the seven types of food crime and how to report it:

If you have concerns or suspicions about food crime, get in touch: 

  • By email at foodcrime@food.gov.uk.
  • By calling 0207 276 8787. Food Crime Confidential operates during normal office hours (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm).
  • Via the Food Crime web form at  food.gov.uk.

If you are reporting an emergency, please call 999

NFCU Food Fraud Resilience Self-Assessment Tool 

The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) has developed a 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.

 NFCU's food fraud resilience self-assessment tool here.