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The National Food Crime Unit has launched an investigation into alleged food fraud after claims a poultry company has been ‘misrepresenting' housed birds as free range.

The unit, which forms part of the Food Standard's Agency (FSA), confirmed a criminal inquiry was under way and that a search warrant had been employed at the as yet unnamed business.

Andrew Quinn, head of the FSA's National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) said: "The Food Standard Agency's NFCU, along with other authorities, have executed a search warrant at a premises linked to a live criminal investigation into alleged food fraud.

See also: Anger as food crime unit fails to investigate adulterated food

"The investigation involves poultry meat allegedly misrepresented as free range. We have also identified potential food safety breaches and the FSA are working with industry to protect consumers by ensuring affected batches are withdrawn from sale."

The new inquiry follows a major probe earlier this year surrounding imported meat that was being sold as British throughout the supply chain and the jailing last month of food plant worker Garry Jones who imprisoned after being found guilty of tampering with produce bound for restaurant chain Nando's.

Last month The Cost of Food Crime report said more should be done to address food fraud after it was revealed the estimated cost of the problem to consumers, businesses and government was between £410 million and £1.96 billion per year.

The study was published by the FSA alongside a second study, and a series of proposals on how to tackle the problem from the agency's recently formed Food Fraud Working Group.

Although the FSA insisted the UK had some of the safest food in the world, it said it had formed the working group in an attempt to help businesses and local authorities deal with the problem.