FOI003620 FOI Trading Standards

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act.

For each of the following financial years:

•    2023/24 (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024)
•    2024/25 (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025)
•    2025/26 (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026)

Please provide the information requested below. Let me know if you need any clarifications or further information to complete this request.

Definitions
For the purposes of this request:
•    "Country-of-origin mislabelling" means any complaint, referral, intelligence report, investigation, inspection or enforcement activity concerning the accuracy of a stated country, territory or place of origin on goods offered for sale.
•    Please include cases whether the allegation was ultimately substantiated or not.
•    If exact figures are unavailable, please provide the nearest available recorded figures and explain any limitations.
•    If information is not held, please state "Information not held", rather than leaving a response blank or putting ‘0’ in a table cell. 

Question 1: Complaints and Investigations

How many complaints, referrals or intelligence reports relating to suspected country-of-origin mislabelling were recorded?
How many distinct cases relating to suspected country-of-origin mislabelling were recorded for investigation?

Table 1
Activity    2023/24    2024/25    2025/26
Complaints / referrals / intelligence reports            
Cases recorded for investigation            

Question 2: Enforcement activity

How many enforcement actions relating to country-of-origin mislabelling were recorded by your authority?
Please provide a breakdown using the categories recorded by your authority.

Table 2
Enforcement activity    2023/24    2024/25    2025/26
e.g. Advice letters            
Warning letters            
Compliance notices            
Product seizures            
Formal cautions            
Civil enforcement actions            
Criminal prosecutions commenced            
Convictions obtained            
Total fines imposed by courts (£)            
Other (please specify)            

Question 3: Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and Israeli settlement cases

If recorded, of the complaints and investigations actions reported in Question 1, how many related to products originating from or suspected of originating from:
•    the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT);
•    Israeli settlements located within the OPT; or
•    goods described as originating from "West Bank", "Palestine", "Occupied Palestinian Territories", "Israeli Settlement" or similar wording?


Table 3
Activity    2023/24    2024/25    2025/26
Complaints / referrals / intelligence reports            
Investigations opened            
Enforcement actions            

Question 4: Enforcement activity related to Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and Israeli settlement cases

If recorded, of the enforcement activity reported in Question 2, how many related to products originating from or suspected of originating from:
•    the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT);
•    Israeli settlements located within the OPT; or
•    goods described as originating from "West Bank", "Palestine", "Occupied Palestinian Territories", "Israeli Settlement" or similar wording,

please provide a breakdown of cases using the categories recorded by your authority.

Table 4 
Enforcement Activity    2023/24    2024/25    2025/26
e.g. Advice letters            
Warning letters            
Compliance notices            
Product seizures            
Formal cautions            
Civil enforcement actions            
Criminal prosecutions commenced            
Convictions obtained            
Total fines imposed by courts (£)            
Other (please specify)            

Question 5: DEFRA Technical Advice Guidance

If recorded, how many recorded complaints, referrals, investigations or enforcement actions referenced compliance with the DEFRA 2009 Technical Advice Guidance concerning produce originating from the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

Table 5
Activity    2023/24    2024/25    2025/26
Complaints / referrals / intelligence reports            
Investigations opened            
Enforcement actions            
If any such cases were recorded, please provide a brief summary of the outcome of each case (with suitable redactions).

Question 6: Proactive compliance activity

During any of the above financial years, did your authority undertake any proactive inspection, sampling, survey, project or compliance exercise specifically intended to assess the accuracy of origin labelling relating to:
•    Occupied Palestinian Territories produce; or
•    Israeli settlement produce?

If yes, please provide the number of exercises recorded and a brief summary of the activity and outcome where this information is readily available.

Table 6
Financial Year    Number of exercises recorded    Brief description
2023/24        
2024/25        
2025/26        

Question 7: Guidance and Procedures

If held and readily available through normal electronic searches, please provide copies of any guidance, policy documents, operational procedures, briefing notes or training materials used by officers when assessing:
•    country-of-origin claims generally; and/or
•    origin labelling relating to the Occupied Palestinian Territories or Israeli settlements. 

Question 8: Business Guidance

In any of the above financial years, has your authority issued guidance, advice, warnings, newsletters or educational material to businesses concerning country-of-origin labelling requirements?
If yes, please provide copies or links to the material if readily available through normal electronic searches.