Brokering fraud and fraudulent brokers: the intersections of licit and illicit relations in the food system

This paper draws upon current research being undertaken on the risks of food fraud by adulteration to the UK’s food system. Food fraud is committed when food is deliberately placed on the market, for financial gain, with the intention of deceiving the consumer, but little is known about how, why and under which conditions such food frauds are organised, or about how motivated offenders (legitimate actors in the supply chain) ‘make the most of’ the opportunities that arise at particular times and in particular places. This paper analyses the role of brokers as key ‘nodes’ in the social/criminal networks of those actors cooperating in the commission of food fraud. In food supply chains, brokers are an essential part of ensuring that the chain is efficient in its operation. An analysis of various food adulteration cases suggests that brokers may also have a critical role in the success of food fraud by ensuring that the introduction of adulterated foodstuffs into the supply chain happens undetected. This paper explores the role of brokers, their interactions with criminal actors (licit and illicit) and their modus operandi in the crime commission process including their use of deception and their abuse of the trust central to their occupational positions for economic gain.