Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made towards the establishment of a Food Crime Unit.
The Food Standards Agency advises that it has already made progress in establishing the new Food Crime Unit. Existing teams that deal with food incidents, fraud and intelligence have been reorganised to form the core of the new Unit and recruitment is underway for a small number of additional permanent and seconded staff to support this. The Food Crime Unit will be operational, with the first phase incorporating a well-developed intelligence capability, by the end of 2014.