Selvarani Elahi MBE, deputy Government Chemist, has joined the
team tasked with the review of the activity of the National Food
Crime Unit in 2022.
Background
In June 2018, the FSA Board agreed to expand NFCU activities from
a strategic and tactical intelligence capability to a
comprehensive response to criminal threats and vulnerabilities,
including investigative capabilities.
In December 2021, the FSA Board endorsed a full organisational
review of the expanded activity.
The terms of reference for the Review were:
-
To assess the delivery by the NFCU of the Key
Performance Questions as laid out in the FSA Board paper of
June 2018
-
To assess delivery of the expanded functions of the Unit as
set out in the aforementioned FSA Board paper
-
To assess progress against the recommendations of the Savill
Review, presented to the FSA Board in December 2020
-
To consider the most suitable governance arrangement for
the NFCU which will assist the fight against food
crime and food fraud, as well as its contribution to the
wider aims of the FSA around food safety and authenticity.
The Review
The Deputy Government Chemist, Selvarani Elahi
MBE (Also the Executive Director of the Food Authenticity Network),
was part of the three person Review team with Adam
Irwin and Keith Bristow
QPM , who led the review from June to October 2022.
The Review collected evidence and insight from 28 focus groups,
40 external stakeholders, via an online survey that was sent to
over 1000 food industry employees and all local authorities, from
the review of a large tranche of related documents and extensive
engagement with over 80 members of FSA staff, including NFCU
officers.
The Review reported 22 findings and made 5 recommendations, under
the headings of Redefine Purpose, Build Capability, Enhance
Impact, Nurture Culture and Project Message. These
recommendations relate to:
-
Clearer definition of the Unit’s purpose, with performance
indicators aligned to its strategy.
-
Using this enhanced clarity to assess ‘as-is’ capability, and
then design and build the required ‘to-be’ position.
-
Ensuring access to the latest tradecraft and capability
within law enforcement to enhance capabilities.
-
Nurturing of internal culture and improvements to internal
career pathways.
-
Better projection of the Unit, its food crime messaging and
its successes.
A paper of the NFCU
Review was received by the FSA Business Committee at a meeting on
7 December 2022.
Keith Bristow said
The Review Team were delighted to undertake the review. We were
pleased to report that the NFCU has done remarkably
well in establishing a dedicated intelligence and crime reduction
capability for the FSA, which many stakeholders see as
world-leading. Through implementation of the review
recommendations, we are confident that the NFCU can build on
what’s already been achieved and deliver even more impact on the
threat and thereby protect consumers and the food industry from
food crime.
Braybrook, Government Chemist said:
Food crime is a global phenomenon and the increasing complexity
of food supply chains provide opportunities for criminals and
present challenges for regulators and law enforcement
organisations. NFCU has an important role to play in the
safeguarding of consumers and legitimate businesses from the
effects of food crime. The Government Chemist is happy to have
contributed to its review, which will help it fully achieve this
mission.
