
Independent food producers have alerted others in the sector to be vigilant amid a wave of fraud targeting high-end produce.
Key figures spoke about their experiences after headlines were made by the reported thefts of £300,000 of cheese from London’s Neal’s Yard Dairy and £37,000 of salmon from Suffolk’s Chapel & Swan.
In both cases, it appears criminals posed as legitimate businesses to order and take delivery of large shipments of food before disappearing without paying.
The Metropolitan Police reported receiving a complaint about the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a Southwark-based manufacturer on October 21. They subsequently arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud and handling stolen goods. He was questioned at a south London police station and later released on bail as investigations continue.
Chris Swales, commercial director at Chapel & Swan, said these high-profile cases were just the tip of the iceberg of the fraudulent activity being attempted and carried out involving the sector.
“I have heard three stories of genuine people [from the trade] being impersonated in face-to-face and video meetings by someone defrauding suppliers of tens of thousands of pounds of food,” he said.
Swales said he was courted over a period of time by a criminal claiming to be a buyer representing a French supermarket.
“This person was incredibly relaxed. I had a knee operation in October and I was getting regular emails asking how I was. It was very friendly.”
The nature of the communications and the challenges of storing and distributing the salmon led Swales to conclude it was someone with industry knowledge.
“There is considerable experience in food, it is someone from the trade.”
He urged other businesses in the sector to take the risk of fraud “incredibly seriously”.
“Just be suspicious of every new enquiry, especially if it is big,” he said. “Assume it is probably dodgy. Go through every check you can think of.
“Instead of dealing with the person writing to us, we ignore them. Find the company yourself, get phone numbers, verify that you are talking to real people and speak to them through your own channels and check various details.”
Tom Calver, director at Westcombe Dairy, was caught up in the Neal’s Yard heist, which involved 10 tonnes of cheddar from the Somerset producer.
“It was the largest order we had ever done,” he said, “equivalent to about a month’s production”.
“The simplest thing to learn is that if something feels too good to be true, it probably is, and extra checks and measures need to be put in place,” said Calver. “Meeting people in person is useful. That is a lesson for everybody.”
This article first appeared in the December edition of Fine Food Digest