The Fresh Produce Consortium has slammed the Home Office response to its concerns over an escalating problem with fraud targeting the trade as “unsatisfactory”.

A spokeswoman said: “FPC is chasing responses from both the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and the National Fraud Authority, following an unsatisfactory response from the Home Office. We are flagging up that this is a trend that needs to be tackled and we have raised it as an industry issue.”

The consortium has been pressing for action since UK traders were targeted earlier this year by highly organised fraudsters. Scammers have been stealing a company’s identity to place fraudulent orders with overseas suppliers before intercepting consignments and selling them on UK wholesale markets without paying suppliers.

The Home Office response to FPC anxiety about the issue was little more than a standard letter including a recommendation to report issues to the police.