Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on changes in the level of theft of food from shops; and what discussions she has had with stakeholders on this issue.

The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of incidents of food theft. Police recorded crime data held by the Home Office records numbers of thefts, but does not separately identify those involving food.

At a national level, the National Retail Crime Steering Group, chaired by the Minister for Crime Prevention, brings together representatives from Government, law enforcement and retail organisations, both large and small. The Steering
Group is intended to identify retail crime issues of national concern and provide a forum for information sharing and agreeing action.