Food Fraud Advisory Unit
Wednesday 8 April 2009
The Food Fraud Advisory Unit (FFAU) provides an advisory resource for local authorities carrying out investigations into fraud that includes any illegal activity relating to food or animal feed.
FFAU membership consists of local authority enforcement officers working in environmental health, trading standards and port health. All members have extensive experience in carrying out food fraud investigations.
Local authorities can draw on the FFAU's expertise for advice, including the in following example areas:
- the legal framework for an investigation
- highlighting appropriate use of evidence gathering techniques, such as surveillance
- coordination of multi-agency investigations
- following relevant protocols to ensure the integrity of an investigation
This advice may be given over the telephone, by email or at meetings with an FFAU member or members.
Responsibility for leading the investigation will always remain with the authority requesting support.
The FFAU also assists in raising awareness of the range of resources available to help local authorities tackle food fraud. These include the Agency’s national Food Fraud Database; a potential source of criminal intelligence for authorities investigating food fraud, and the Fighting Fund, a financial resource available to support local authority investigations. More information about the database and fund can be found at the links below.
How to request assistance from the FFAU
If you work for a local authority and you want to seek assistance from the FFAU as part of your investigations into food fraud, please contact:
Enforcement and Local Authority Delivery Division
Food Standards Agency
Tel: 0207 276 8364, 0207 276 8077 or 0207 276 8397
email: foodfraud@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Membership of the FFAU
| Name | Organisation |
|---|---|
| David Barclay Rhodes | Leicester City Council |
| Paul Maylunn | Northamptonshire County Council |
| Nick Lowe | Birmingham City Council |
| Susan Nixon | South Norfolk Council |
| Robert Bartlett | London Borough of Enfield |
| Peter Hardman | North Somerset District Council |
| Derek Oliver | Falkirk Council |
| Rita McGinlay | Dacorum Borough Council |
| Beverly Edmondson | Crawley Borough Council |
| Tendy Lindsay | London Borough of Haringey |
| James McLennan | Moray Council |
| Larry Dargan | Western Group Environmental Health Committee |
| Rob Phillips | Ceredigion County Council |
| Glyn Cavell | Mersey Port Health Authority |
| Rob Blacklock | North Yorkshire Council |
| Ian Newell | Lincolnshire Council |
| Iain Ferris | South Gloucestershire Council |
Background
The FFAU, established in February 2009, builds on and takes over the work of the Illegal Meat Task Force (IMTF), following five years of significant success in supporting illegal meat investigations. The wider remit of the new unit, which retains some of the membership of the IMTF, addresses the need for a more diverse investigative resource.
The success of this work relies heavily on the input of local authorities, industry and consumers to let the Agency know if they are aware of suspected or known food or feed fraud.
A dedicated email address, foodfraud@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk, and telephone hotline, 020 7376 8527, have been set up for reporting food and feed fraud to the Agency.
