York: Food thefts set to rocket as cost of living crisis bites

North Yorkshire Police data shows there were 84 instances of food being shoplifted in York between January 1 and May 20 this year, the latest figures available. 

That rate of thefts, projected over the rest of the year, would mean there will be more than 200 cases of food being stolen from shops by the end of 2023.

In 2020 there were 160 instances of food being shoplifted in York, in 2021 the figure was 154 and last year the number stood at just 130.

Fiona McCulloch, chief officer at Citizens Advice’s York bureau, said there are clear signs some are turning to crime, which has serious health implications.

“In the middle of last year supermarkets started putting security tags on baby formula,” she said.

“That led to a huge surge of malnourished babies in York because mums are watering down the formula to try and make it last longer.”

Fiona McCulloch

She added: “We can’t give them legal advice, but what we would do is find them a good criminal solicitor if they come to us with that problem.

“They probably wouldn’t normally tell us [they plan to shoplift], but they say we need help and that’s when we give them food vouchers or fuel vouchers.

“Usually they know we can give them vouchers so they wouldn’t say ‘I’m about to go and steal’ but they would say ‘we’re starving, we haven’t eaten for three days’.”

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A spokesperson for the foodbank charity The Trussell Trust said they are also seeing signs of desperation.

“We know from our latest data that food banks in The Trussell Trust network in the Yorkshire and the Humber have given out more than 200,000 emergency food parcels to people between April 2022 and March 2023 – a 28 per cent increase compared to last year,” the spokesperson said.

“We know that more and more people have been left with no option but to turn to charitable, volunteer-run organisations to get by.”

Food shoplifting figures are rising

According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), shop price annual inflation accelerated to nine per cent in May, up slightly from 8.8 per cent in April, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect families across Yorkshire and the rest of the UK.

This is above the three-month average rate of 8.9 per cent and brings shop price growth to a fresh high.

While food inflation decelerated in May, it is still the second-highest inflation rate in the food category on record.

This shows that inflation may have peaked, according to the BRC.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “While there is reason to believe that food inflation might be peaking, it is vital that government does not hamper this early progress by piling more costs onto retailers and forcing up the cost of goods even further.

“The biggest risk comes from policies such as the incoming border checks and reforms to packaging recycling fees.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “We know that shoplifting has a negative impact on our local economy and community and we understand the impact it has on businesses. 

“We do everything we can to investigate reports of shoplifting.”