Prevalence food fraud and resilience strategies of UK food supply chain during COVID-19

Fraud costs the UK food and drink economy £12 billion a year but this is only the tip of the iceberg as fraud is massively underreported. Covid-19 has shown the vulnerability of the food supply chain and fraudsters may take advantage of the pandemic whilst the population needed a continuous supply of safe and quality food. The lack of monitoring and policing in the food supply chain will likely encourage fraudsters to upscale their operations. This project aims to assess the prevalence of food fraud in UK food supply chains and identify the resilience strategies adopted by UK food supply chain during Covid-19 The project methods include mapping of vulnerable points and semi-structured interviews with food producers and suppliers. The project will provide evidence for food regulatory authorities and share best practices and strategies to protect UK food supply chain against food fraud during exogenous shocks like Covid-19.