A warning has been made over the risks of food fraud which is costing the UK up to £2 billion per year after Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standard Agency published their latest Food Crime Strategic Assessment. Although the report found that the majority of food in the UK is safe and authentic, they do have concerns over the threat of food crime. Blame has largely been placed on huge recent geopolitical events around the world which have caused disruption in the food chain and left it open to fraud. Those events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s attacks on Palestine, have increased the risk of food crime.

Document fraud is observed as a common thread through many aspects of food crime, being utilised for example to outwardly legitimise illicit products resulting from thefts, unlawful processes or those which are being sold at a premium price after adulteration or substitution with substandard commodities.

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