British supermarkets implement facial recognition: how it works.

Changes in Farmfoods supermarkets to combat crime

According to The Sun: The discount supermarket Farmfoods, which has over 340 stores across the country, has installed new facial recognition cameras at its checkouts. This decision is part of the fight against crime, particularly against shoplifting.

These modern cameras, equipped with the Facewatch system, scan the faces of shoppers and check them against a database for criminal activity in other participating stores.

It is unknown how many of the 340 Farmfoods stores have already implemented these new systems.

Farmfoods joins other supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Iceland, and Co-Op, which have already installed modern cameras.

However, activists express concerns about this, arguing that it may turn innocent shoppers into 'suspects by default.'

“By subjecting thousands of innocent members of the public to biometric identity checks, Farmfoods is turning its shoppers into suspects by default,” Big Brother Watch’s Jasleen Chaggar told The Grocer.

“It is completely disproportionate that customers should be confronted with intrusive surveillance when doing something as everyday as buying groceries.”

This step was a response to the growing problem of shoplifting in stores, particularly major chains like Greggs, which have also suffered losses.

According to official figures, around 800 incidents of shoplifting were reported daily last year, remaining unsolved.

In particular, 289,464 cases were closed without a suspect being identified in 2024/25 – an 18% increase compared to the previous year.

Overall, in 55% of all shoplifting cases, no suspect was identified, and only 18% of cases led to charges.

Shoplifting investigation statistics

The latest data for all police forces in England, except Humberside, and Wales were collected for the Liberal Democrats by the House of Commons Library.

They showed that 793 incidents of shoplifting were recorded daily, remaining unsolved.

In London  Met  had the worst statistics – 76.9% of 93,705 cases were closed without a suspect, while only 5.9% of cases ended in charges.

The implementation of facial recognition cameras has sparked discussions about the balance between security and privacy. Many experts emphasize the need to find alternative solutions to combat crime that do not violate consumer rights. These changes may significantly impact the consumer experience in supermarkets and provoke a new wave of discussions about the ethics of surveillance technology. It is important to monitor the further development of the situation and the public's reaction to such initiatives.