CPS brings charges over alleged Scottish salmon misrepresentation.
Four individuals have been charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in connection with the alleged misrepresentation of smoked salmon products.
The charges follow what the Food Standards Agency said was a lengthy and complex investigation carried out by its National Food Crime Unit (NFCU). The defendants appeared at York Magistrates’ Court this week and have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
According to the CPS, the case relates to allegations that salmon products supplied by Bleiker’s Smoke House Ltd were falsely marketed as Scottish salmon when, in whole or in part, the products consisted of Norwegian salmon. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 20 August 2021 and 30 March 2022.
Andrew Cant, specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said the prosecution has worked closely with officers from the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit during the investigation. He added that criminal proceedings are active and that the defendants are entitled to a fair trial.
The case has been committed to Teesside Crown Court, where it is scheduled to be heard on 6 February.
The charges mark the culmination of an investigation that began in May 2022, after allegations of misrepresentation emerged as Bleiker’s Smoke House collapsed into administration. The North Yorkshire-based smokehouse had previously supplied major UK supermarkets and employed 86 staff at the time of its collapse.