Chicken fillets imported into the Irish Republic from the Netherlands had been injected with beef and pig protein, a probe has established. The Irish Food Safety Authority found animal DNA in 17 out of 30 samples. The fillets had also been "bulked up" with water to make them look bigger, and some contained just 55% meat. Food Safety Authority chief executive Dr Patrick Wall said the meat additives had been injected so the fillets could absorb more water. Concerns raised by the UK Food Standards Agency about the water content had prompted the Irish investigation. According to Dr Wall, the chickens had originated in Thailand and were injected with the proteins at processing plants in the Netherlands. Some 140 tonnes of the fillets have been imported into Ireland since January. Dr Wall said that while there were "no major health risks", consumers were being misled because neither the animal protein nor the meat content was listed on the labels as required by law. {{NEWS }}

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