A daring heist within the UK in October put the highlight on the worthwhile however dangerous world of luxurious cheese. The incident, dubbed “the grate cheese theft,” noticed 22 tonnes of premium British cheese disappear after a fraudulent order was positioned below the guise of a French grocery store chain. The stolen consignment, valued at over £300,000 (round Rs 3.26 crore), comprised specialty cheese from farms in Somerset, together with Hafod, a uncommon cheddar aged for 18 months.
Patrick Holden, the dairy farmer behind Hafod, was initially thrilled by what he believed to be the most important order his farm had ever obtained. “It was the most important order for our cheese we have ever obtained,” Holden informed BBC, including, “And, as a result of it was from France, I assumed, ‘lastly, folks on the continent are appreciating what we do’.”
His pleasure waned when the order turned out to be a rip-off, and the cheese disappeared after being collected by a courier. In late October, a 63-year-old man was arrested in London, he was later launched on bail. Since then, there have been no updates, and the 950 truckles of cheese – across the weight of 4 full-size elephants – disappeared with out a hint.
The stolen cheese, together with £35,000 (round Rs 38.13 lakh) value of Hafod, was processed by way of Neal’s Yard Dairy, an upmarket London wholesaler. The heist shocked the cheese trade, which the criminals have focused because of the rising worth of luxurious dairy merchandise.
Whereas the size of the cheese theft was extraordinary, it’s a part of a broader rise in food-related crimes that price the worldwide meals trade billions annually. Cheese, particularly high-end varieties, has turn out to be a horny goal for organised criminals. From smuggling and counterfeiting to outright theft, food-related crimes have flourished, with some gangs specialising in stealing priceless merchandise like Parmigiano Reggiano and cheddar.
“Cheesemaking is an energy-intensive enterprise,” the BBC quoted Patrick McGuigan, a dairy sector specialist, as saying. “There was an enormous value enhance following the disruption brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” added McGuigan. The financial influence of the conflict and ongoing inflation has made cheese more and more costly, driving demand amongst criminals looking for to revenue from this profitable market.
Notably, the worth of cheese within the UK has elevated of late, with some varieties seeing value hikes of as much as 6.5% in simply 2024. “Primarily based on value alone, cheese is among the most fascinating meals a legal can steal,” McGuigan mentioned.
Luxurious cheese theft is just not solely about excessive costs. Meals holds further attraction for legal networks. Andy Quinn of the Nationwide Meals Crime Unit (NFCU) mentioned, “They (criminals) know crimes involving meals end in much less extreme convictions than for importing medicine, however they will nonetheless make related quantities of cash.” It is very true relating to premium cheese.
The black marketplace for stolen cheese is international. In 2016, £80,000 value of Parmigiano Reggiano was stolen in Italy.
“Cheese and wine are two of the commonest merchandise being transported illegally into Russia,” says Professor Chris Elliott, founding father of the World Institute for Meals Safety.
The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium is tackling black market theft of its prized cheese by embedding tiny monitoring chips within the rind. These chips, no larger than a grain of rice, comprise distinctive digital IDs to confirm authenticity and detect stolen cheese. Patrons can scan the cheese to verify its legitimacy, although the consortium has not but launched knowledge on the influence of this know-how on fraud.