Which? has called for action against fraud in the takeaway sector, after finding many lamb dishes had been adulterated with other, cheaper species.
The group ran DNA tests on 60 lamb takeaways bought in Birmingham and London, and found 24 had been adulterated, and seven contained no lamb at all. Dishes had typically been substituted with chicken or beef, Which? said.
“Regardless of whether or not they can taste the difference, some people - for religious or other reasons - will have chosen not to eat these meats,” its report (PDF) added.
The Which? findings broadly mirror the findings of recent local authority testing programmes. Which? said it was campaigning for the government to take “firm action” against food fraud, and stressed it was vital government food testing programmes were not cut back further.
“The government, local authorities and the FSA need to make food fraud a priority and take tougher action to crack down on the offenders,” said Which? executive director Richard Lloyd. “This is vital to restoring trust in the industry, which is not only good for consumers but good for businesses too.”
In response to concerns over mislabelled lamb, the Food Standards Agency today (17 April) announced a further round of testing on lamb takeaway dishes from businesses across the UK.
The FSA said it would ask local authorities to test 300 samples from takeaway restaurants and report back their findings. Sampling will start at the beginning of May. The mislabelling of food could result in fines of up to £5,000, the FSA added.
“Substitution of lamb for cheaper meats in takeaway food, as seen in our own data and the survey released today by Which?, is unacceptable and we are working closely with local authorities to ensure robust action is taken against any businesses misleading their customers,” said Andrew Rhodes, chief operating officer at the FSA.
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