The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works with partners to protect consumers from serious criminal activity that impacts on the safety or authenticity of the food and drink they consume.



Food crime involves dishonesty at any stage in the production or supply of food, drink or animal feed. It is often complex and can be seriously harmful to consumers, businesses and the general public.

Report a food crime in confidence
Food Crime Confidential is a reporting facility where anyone with suspicions about food crime can report these safely and in confidence, over-the-phone or online. The facility is particularly targeted at those working in or around the UK food industry.

The National Food Crime Unit would like to receive any information relating to suspected dishonesty involving food, drink or animal feed. In addition to identifying and being able to tackle specific instances of food crime, such information will help us learn more about the circumstances that make offending possible.

Food Crime is defined as 'Financially motivated dishonesty relating to food production or supply, which is either complex or results in serious detriment to consumers, businesses or the overall public'.

The National Food Crime Unit would like to hear from you if you have suspicions about:

food or drink that has potentially been adulterated or substituted
methods used in workplaces for producing, processing, storing, labelling or transporting food that appears illegal or substandard
companies or businesses that are selling items of food or drink that purport to be of a certain quality, suggest health benefits or claim to be from a specific place or region, but do not appear genuine or are suspected to be fake
Report the sale of DNP for human consumption
DNP is an industrial chemical that is not fit for human consumption. It is sometimes sold in capsule or powder form as a 'fat burner' and is a highly toxic chemical that can and does kill.

DNP is not illegal to own because it has industrial uses. However, selling it for human consumption is a criminal offence. We lead national operations against people who sell DNP and work with international and law enforcement partners to bring them to justice.

We would like to hear from you if you have information about people selling or importing DNP as a 'fat burner' or for any type of human consumption.

Act now
Please get in touch with Food Crime Confidential if you have any concerns about food crime.

Call 0207 276 8787 or email foodcrime@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Food Crime Confidential operates normal office hours (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm). Any other reporting will be dealt with within normal office hours.

If you are reporting an emergency please call 999.

Calling from a local authority?
If you have any suspicions or information about food crime/fraud, please forward this to the NFCU at foodcrime@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk by completing a standard intelligence report form.