Fraud investigation launched after overseas pork allegedly sold as British

Overseas pork falsely labeled as British appears to have been sold by major supermarkets, according to a new report as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) launches an investigation into chain fraud supply.

An investigation by the trade publication Farmers Weekly has revealed that until at least the end of 2020, one of the UK's leading food manufacturers Uni sold mislabeled and sometimes rotten meat to retailers.

Meat produced by the company reportedly ended up in products such as ready meals, quiches, sandwiches and other products sold at Tesco, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer.

The survey found that every week tens of thousands of tons of overseas pork mislabeled as British was ending up in the supply chain.

The processor, who has yet to be named by the FSA, has also been accused by former employees of regularly visibly "washing" hams in salt water and mixing rotten pork with fresh produce for further processing.

Darren Davies, head of the FSA's National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), said: "[We are] conducting a criminal investigation into how of which a supplier allegedly supplied products labeled as British when in fact they came from elsewhere.

"This is a complex and live investigation and we We are reviewing all new lines of inquiry with our partner organizations, including any potential breaches of food hygiene on the premises. If evidence of a food safety risk is found, appropriate action will be taken.

"Last year, the FSA advised retailers to check their chain cooked meat sourcing and apply additional due diligence in their checks. We do not issue these alerts for no reason.

"We will not name the supplier during that we are carefully gathering evidence to support our investigation so as not to prejudice possible future action by the courts.”

Davies warned that the cost of living crisis could mean food fraud on the rise as suppliers come under pressure to make profits.He said: "As a national regulator, we are the last line of defence. In an era of cost pressures and other challenges mean the risks of food fraud could increase, it is essential that everyone involved in the food system remain extremely vigilant to ensure food is safe and what it says."

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On behalf of all affected supermarkets, the British Retail Consortium said: "The role of the FSA is to work with retailers to prevent fraud. Although we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, retailers will support the FSA in its investigation of the individual supplier in question.

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A Marks & Spencer spokesperson said none of their raw materials come from the affected supplier. They added: “All M&S fresh beef, chicken, pork and lamb are sourced from our selected farms in the UK and we have rigorous, market-leading testing processes in place across all our operations to guarantee the origin of our products. M&S does not take any products from the company in question. Neither M&S nor any of our suppliers are under investigation by the NFCU. prevent the recurrence of this practice.

Andrew Meredith, the magazine's editor, said: "When trade agreements are signed, it will allow the flow of imports into the country more and more easily, it is essential that the provenance of local products is stronger than ever.

“We cannot and should not be able to force consumers to buy only British goods, but there must be a rock-solid guarantee that when they choose to do so, they are getting the real deal."