Food Crime Unit should get more power: review

The review – which began in August – recommended the NFCU be made into an “arms-length body” of the FSA, with the power to make day-to-day law enforcement decisions. The findings would be considered by the FSA Board at its next meeting on November 23.

The FSA review said: “There was unanimous agreement from consumer representatives, industry, enforcements partners and professional bodies that the work of the NFCU is a good strategic fit for the FSA.

‘NFCU should have investigative capacity’

“There was [also] broad consensus among all of the key stakeholder groups consulted that the NFCU should have investigative capacity.”

The NFCU should have a small separate non-executive board, and its chair should sit on the FSA Board as a non-executive director, the review recommended. It also said there should be performance assessments of the NFCU at regular intervals.

Despite the unit’s limitations, imposed by its current mandate and lack of investigative capacity, the unit had provided financial, tactical and strategic support for local authorities running the investigations, judged the review.

The NFCU currently has no investigatory powers, and instead works with local authorities and the police to combat food crime.

More powers by March 2017

The FSA recommended the unit be given more powers by March 2017. “If the FSA Board accepts the review’s recommendation, the next stage is to develop a business case and consult with other government departments on more detailed delivery options.

“There will also need to be in depth consultation with devolved governments and stakeholders in Wales and Northern Ireland, to ensure that a future NFCU takes into account devolved enforcement arrangements and the need for local political accountability.

Meanwhile, the NFCU achieved three key goals over the past year, its boss Andy Morling claimed in an exclusive video interview, filmed at Food Manufacture’s food safety conference last month.