Meat remains the top product targeted by ORC in New Zealand, with thefts increasing

MEAT REMAINS TOP PRODUCT TARGETED BY ORGANISED RETAIL CRIME IN NEW ZEALAND, WITH THEFTS INCREASING‍

Grocery stores in New Zealand continue to be targeted for meat products by organised retail crime networks, with new data revealing the top 10% of offenders across the country are responsible for half of these thefts.

The data has been released by Auror, the New Zealand-founded global retail crime reporting software company. Auror’s software is used by 90% of major retailers in New Zealand, including our biggest supermarkets, to report crime occurring in their stores. Auror data has also revealed that one third of all events at grocery retailers now involve meat. Between July 2022 and June 2023, there were 13,763 events involving meat, up 26% from the previous year. Beef is the top targeted meat product, followed by pork, chicken, and lamb.

Over the last 12 months meat has remained the top targeted product across the country. The data from Auror shows the main cities with the biggest increases in thefts involving meat are Rotorua (up 89%), Wellington (up 57%), Palmerston North (up 43%), and Tauranga (up 40%).

Auror CEO, Phil Thomson, says the company has been reporting these insights back to New Zealand retailers, and identifying what this means for the future of stopping retail crime.

“Using our software, we have been able to identify that these incidents are not ad-hoc or opportunistic theft, it’s targeted and organised."

“Meat is a popular product stolen by organised retail crime networks, because of the large demand for it in the reseller market, including meat raffles, dairies, and restaurants,” says Thomson.

A surge in retail crime has seen businesses including Foodstuffs looking at using technology like artificial intelligence to target repeat offenders. Thomson commends Foodstuffs’ collaborative approach of working with Government Ministers, Police and the Privacy Commission to ensure it is using this technology responsibly.

“Retail crime costs this country more than $2 million a day and ultimately, it’s the everyday Kiwi consumer who pays with higher prices to account for this theft. It’s also a conversation around safety - as frontline team members are exposed to the majority of organised retail crime activity occurring in retail, we need to be prioritising those workers’ personal safety,” says Thomson.

Thomson notes it’s easy to attribute the rise in retail crime and violence to the cost of living, but in reality, it’s not so simple.

“While cost of living is certainly part of this story, this is not your average Kiwi stealing an additional tray of meat. The data shows that this is organised, it’s targeted, and there’s a huge resale market that recidivist offenders utilise to their advantage.”