Thanks to a horsemeat scandal that rocked its the frozen food aisles and Taco Bell locations in early 2013, Great Britain now has a "Food Crime Unit" dedicated to investigating food-related crimes. BBC News reports the special team will be part of the national Food Standards Agency, and in addition to investigating matters of food safety, the FCU will target food counterfeiters, the criminals who create bootleg versions of name-brand food and drink items.
An Interpol representative tells the BBC that fraudulent food items are on the rise as "criminals have realized that they can make the same amount of money by dealing with counterfeit food" as with drug trafficking. Unfortunately, counterfeit food has been blamed in several large-scale instances of consumers getting sick in China and the Czech Republic. The FCU has not been formed yet, but a Law & Order: Food Crime Unit spin-off shouldn't be too far off.
· Ministers Back Food Crime Unit Recommendation [BBC]
· All Crime Coverage on Eater [-E-]