Farmers Weekly-backed hotline uncovers food crime leads

A food crime reporting system established following a 2023 Farmers Weekly campaign and investigation into food fraud and safety concerns is generating thousands of intelligence leads for regulators.

New figures obtained by Farmers Weekly show the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) received more than 18,800 reports through its reporting channels in 2024-25, including 1,218 calls to its confidential hotline, 15,773 emails and 1,828 online reports.

The service has become an important intelligence source for investigators tackling fraud across the food supply chain.

See also: Analysis: Rural crime – down overall, but hotspots persist

Speaking to Farmers Weekly, NFCU head Andrew Quinn said information from whistleblowers remained one of the unit’s most valuable resources.

“We do get a number of calls and updates from people on the inside who want to tip us off on really important stuff,” he said.

So far in 2025-26, 823 calls have been made to the hotline and 16,616 emails have been sent.

Mr Quinn said about 2,000 intelligence reports are formally assessed each year, with investigators grading information for reliability before deciding whether it warrants further investigation.

AI-generated paperwork

The continuing flow of reports comes as the NFCU investigates what could become a major threat to the food industry – suspected AI-generated laboratory paperwork designed to bypass food safety controls.

Mr Quinn revealed investigators have uncovered cases where laboratory certificates presented by food businesses were found to be fake.

The allegation is that previously legitimate test certificates may have been altered or manipulated to create the appearance that ongoing laboratory testing had taken place when it had not.

Mr Quinn indicated the suspected activity was not confined to small operators, but added: “It’s not widespread at the moment, thank goodness.”

The NFCU has identified country-of-origin fraud as a continuing concern for farmers.

Mr Quinn also shared his growing concern over waste diversion, where materials that should have been disposed of as animal by-products find their way back into food supply chains.

His comments came as the NFCU makes increasing use of investigatory powers introduced last year, allowing officers to gather evidence, execute searches and conduct aspects of investigations without relying as heavily on police forces and local authorities.

If you have information about a food crime, call the freephone hotline on 0800 028 1180 (available during office hours) or email foodcrime@food.gov.uk.