The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU)—part of the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA)—recently agreed upon its Control Strategy for 2025/26.

The NFCU Control Strategy outlines the Unit’s current food crime priorities, bringing focus to its efforts to “prevent food crime, deter and disrupt food criminals, and bring offenders to justice.”

After a thorough intelligence-led review, NFCU decided to focus on the following priority areas until March 2026:

• Misrepresentation of lamb, beef, poultry, and dairy with regard to origin
• Misrepresentation of lamb, beef, and poultry with regard to status
• Adulteration and substitution of lamb, beef, poultry, and dairy products
• Waste diversion, including Animal By-Products (ABP) handling within red meat, poultry, dairy, and feed supply chains
• Specific supply chains presenting high levels of authenticity risk to the UK with a focus on honey, olive oil, herbs and spices, organic and white fish 

“Whilst our Control Strategy gives us focus and allows us to target our Prepare, Prevent Protect and Pursue activity, we continue to maintain our understanding of the wider food crime landscape and address any emerging risks,” NFCU said in a statement.