Shoplifters are swamping retailers yet avoid rebuke because politicians have accused supermarkets of profiteering.
Matt Hood, the CEO of Co-op Foods, said his stores had seen a surge in crime.
He said he was “disappointed” people were defending looters after MPs criticised “rip-off” prices.
The Co-op has 2,500 outlets across the country.
Recent figures showed the police did not respond to 70 per cent of callouts for serious offences in its stores.
Also, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour were up 35 per cent year-on-year.
Criminal gangs target goods such as coffee, alcohol, and baby formula.
Mr Hood said:
“I was reading some of the comments when we’ve spoken about shoplifting being on the rise and people were saying ‘well, they are making so much money, so what difference does it make?’
“What drives me insane is the amount of people who want to claim it is victimless.
“Tell me, if that was your child working in that shop, would you say it is a victimless crime because it is fundamentally not.”
Threats to safety could also put people off working in retail, he said:
“If it continues as it is at the moment, it’s going to be an industry that becomes hard for us to bring people into.”
Mr Hood urged the public to stop thinking people steal because of the cost-of-living crisis.
He said: “No, it’s fundamentally because people are using baby formula to cut drugs.
“They’re using it for organised crime”.
Supermarket chiefs were recently before MPs to explain their prices.