1 in 10 dishes contain the wrong type of meat
‘Clear examples of illegal food fraud’
ALMOST one in ten dishes – including kebabs, curries and sausages – have been found to contain traces of a different meat from that advertised.
In the latest food fraud to shock Scotland, a survey found 8 per cent of meat tested from supermarkets, restaurants and processors last year came from a different animal or contained DNA from more than one animal.
In some instances ham for pizza toppings was identified as chicken or turkey, lamb curry was largely beef and pork spare ribs were found to be chicken.
Farmers leaders said the findings – five years after the supermarket horse meat contamination scandal – showed ‘clear examples of illegal food fraud’.
Last night Katie Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: ‘It is critically important that businesses and consumers have confidence in the supply chain and that information regarding meat content is accurate. Not only may there be health concerns if meat is incorrectly labelled or substituted, there is also a serious issue of causing religious distress and the possibility of criminal activity.’
The Food Standards Scotland (FSS) findings were released following a Freedom of Information request.
They showed 631 random tests were carried out last year, with 48 of the samples found to be ‘contaminated’ with the meat of an animal that either was not on the label or menu description.
But the FSS would not disclose the names of the premises or the type of business they operated. In one sample, barbecue pork spare ribs from a ‘primary producer’ in Falkirk were found to be chicken.
A restaurant in East Dunbartonshire was serving ‘lamb curry’ that was largely beef. In South Ayrshire, a business sold ‘lamb madras’ but the meat was beef.
In Stirling, pork sausages were found to also contain beef ‘above levels than would result through cross-contamination’.
A ‘lamb passanda’ from a Dundee restaurant was found to be beef, and peanuts were also found in the meal when it should not have contained any nuts.
Both chicken and turkey were found in a ‘Greek chicken stir-fry’ from a shop in the Western Isles. A meal at a restaurant in Angus, described as ‘beef in oyster sauce’, was found to consist only of pork, while Scotch beef mince from a store in Edinburgh was found to contain beef and pork.
At a shop in Glasgow, minced lamb contained both lamb and chicken, while a ‘lamb biriyani’ contained beef and lamb.
Dr Jacqui McElhiney, head of food protection science and surveillance at FSS, said: ‘Where any unsatisfactory results are found, the relevant local authority will take appropriate action to ensure the business is compliant with the relevant legislation and to prevent products being placed on the market which may be unsafe or labelled in a way which misleads the consumer.’
She added: ‘Consumers rightly expect that the food they buy is what it says it is on the label.’
NFU Scotland livestock policy manager John Armour said: ‘These results highlight that there are a small number of ongoing issues within some food business regarding contamination and these must be resolved to protect the high reputation of Scottish food and farming and ensure the high level of confidence that Scottish consumers have in the quality of our food is not undermined.’
He added: ‘Some of these products will have been accidentally contaminated but others are clear examples of illegal food fraud.’ Quality Meat Scotland chief Alan Clarke said: ‘It is vital the quality reputation of our meat is not undermined and any isolated cases of poor practice are quickly identified and firmly dealt with.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Consumers have every right to expect that what’s on the label is what’s on their plate. We expect local authorities to take appropriate action where necessary to protect food standards and safety.’
In 2013 the UK was gripped by a horsemeat scandal when traces of it were found in food products from other parts of Europe – including lasagne and meatballs.