Ralph Stockdale, the managing director of Wensleydale Bacon became suspicious of a widespread food fraud after he received a complaint that his North Yorkshire company had overcharged a customer.

Mr Stockdale discovered that his bacon was being sold at a 50 per cent discount as part of a scam, and that a cheque covering a £29,000 delivery — almost 9,000kgs (20,000lbs) of rindless back bacon — had bounced.

Mr Stockdale said that he had checked out the credit details of Tri-imp Ltd after receiving a fake invoice purporting to be from the company and was satisfied that all was above aboard. But he became concerned when one of his drivers turned up at a cold store in Leeds to deliver a consignment, only to be met by men in a vehicle outside the plant. “I was then contacted by one of my customers who said he’d been offered my bacon at a cheaper price than I supplied to him. He asked what was going on.

“I charge £1.46 a pound and they were selling it for 99p a pound and wanted cash. I then realised they weren’t genuine and the same day the bank informed me their cheque had bounced.”

Mr Stockdale said that he contacted the police and had tightened up all his trader reference checks, to ensure that he could not fall victim again. “It really worries me that people are prepared to go to these lengths, and that people are willing to buy cheap meat like this,” he said. “If someone offered me some boxes below the going rate — and wanted cash — there’s no way I would touch it.”

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