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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/22/britons-increasingly-turning-to-food-black-market-experts-say>
"Increasing numbers of people are turning to a growing black market for food to
supplement their diets as prices rocket, experts have said.
Meat, cheese and confectionery are among the items being stolen in large
quantities from shops and lorries in order to be sold to people hit by the cost
of living crisis.
With food prices rising, figures in policing, retail and academia said action
was needed to stop people exploiting the rising demand for stolen food.
Retailers are reporting a record year for shoplifting, costing the industry
£1bn this year, according to the British Retail Consortium’s estimate. Home
Office data shows the crime has reached the highest level since records began,
while the proportion of shoplifting incidents that resulted in a charge has
fallen.
Andrew Goodacre, the chief executive of the British Independent Retailers
Association said the cost of living crisis had made people “think of
alternative ways of sourcing items that are essential to them”. He said shops
that had not faced shoplifting in the past were reporting thieves clear whole
shelves in seconds.
“I think that’s because the black market has got so much bigger,” he said."
Via Joerg Fliege, who wrote "The good old Blitz spirit" and Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
