Four people who worked at a North Yorkshire smokehouse have been charged with fraud after allegedly selling Norwegian salmon to Aldi while claiming it was Scottish and RSPCA-assured.
Charles Andrew, 59, Alexander Irvine, 62, Alex McMorran, 61, and Dana Timsa, 36, appeared at Teesside Crown Court facing conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. The alleged offences occurred in 2021 and 2022 while they worked for Bleiker’s Smokehouse.
Food Standards Agency Investigation
The charges follow an investigation by the Food Standards Agency’s crime unit into activities at the smokehouse, which was based at Leeming Bar industrial estate near Northallerton.
Neil Castle from the Food Standards Agency said the investigation had been “lengthy and complex.” The crime unit examined how salmon products were described when supplied to the supermarket chain.
Prosecutors allege the four described salmon products as RSPCA-assured and Scottish when the fish actually came from Norway. Such labelling affects both premium pricing and consumer choice about animal welfare standards.
No Pleas Entered
Andrew, of Kirkby Malzeard near Ripon; Irvine, from Grimsby; McMorran, from Gretna in Scotland; and Timsa, of Morton-on-Swale near Northallerton, were not asked to enter pleas at the hearing.
All four will return to court at a later date for further proceedings.
Business Collapsed in 2022
Bleiker’s Smokehouse entered administration in 2022 following the termination of a major supermarket contract. The business failure occurred while the Food Standards Agency investigation was ongoing.
The case now proceeds through the criminal justice system with future court dates to be scheduled.
