New U.K. Food Police Target Food Safety Criminals

When it comes to preserving food safety, there are two schools of thought – education and knowledge, and enforcement through policing. While each have their place, preventing food safety issues through education and knowledge is generally the superior defense.

But in reality not all food safety issues result from a lack of knowledge. Sometimes, threats to our food supply are the result of criminal behaviour. In these cases the law needs to step in.

Countries are increasingly targeting food fraud and criminal activity in the same way they target other crimes. Perpetrators can not only be fined or forced to close down their operations; they can be tried in court and receive criminal penalties.

Elliot Report Highlights Need for Legal Enforcement of Food Safety

In 2013, Europe was hit with the horse meat scandal, where organized crime was substituting cheaper horse meat for beef to turn a profit. The high-profile event left many wondering about the safety and integrity of their food and in fear of a recurrence. The long interval between discovery and prosecution didn’t help with public confidence.

In response, Professor Chris Elliot of Queen’s University Belfast was named to lead an inquiry to prevent food adulteration in the future.

The “Elliott Review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks—Final Report”, published on the U.K’s official website on September 4, draws on the Danish Food Crime Unit, established in 2006, and the Dutch Food Crime Unit, started in 2002, as models.

Based on the report, the British government has said it will:

– Set up the new Food Crime Unit

– Ensure a resilient network of food analytical laboratories to test food consistently

– Improve coordination across government to protect food integrity and “tackle food crime”

U.S Targets Food Safety Crimes with FSMA

The same month that the Elliot report was published, a federal jury in the U.S. found two former officials and one broker for the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) guilty of practices that led to a 46-state outbreak of Salmonella poisoning in 2009. The U.S. is undergoing unprecedented prosecution of food crimes; more than 12 food executives have been charged with felonies this year.

In the PCA case, there were more than 700 reported cases, including nine deaths. But epidemiological projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the total number of illnesses at more than 22,000.

It was a case of outright criminal behaviour. Perpetrators fabricated documents stating that the food was free of disease-causing bacteria, when in fact there had been either no testing or the results were positive.

While the FDA stresses that their focus is on being a coach as much as a cop, the PCA case indicates tougher enforcement is on the table. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) becomes final in 2015, and gives the FDA more authority to launch civil suits or seek criminal prosecution.

In a perfect world, the right training and resources would be enough for the food industry to protect consumers and minimize risk. But the reality is that there are those who are willing to endanger others for their own personal gain. As long as there is profit to be made, the grim reality is that policing will be an integral part of our food safety system.

About the Author

Allie Gallant is a freelance writer and blogger.

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