The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has kicked off an additional program to ensure priority testing of lamb dishes from takeaway restaurants across the country, and prosecute the businesses if found to be deliberately mislabeling foods.
The move follows reports of substitution of lamb for cheaper meats like beef and chicken.
Between July and December 2013, an FSA review of local authority sampling data discovered 43 out of 145 samples of lamb takeaway meals that contained meat other than lamb.
In total, 25 of these samples were found to contain only beef, with other meat species observed included chicken and turkey.
As part of the additional priority testing, local authorities will test 300 samples from takeaway restaurants and report the findings to the FSA. Sampling will begin in May 2014.
FSA chief operating officer Andrew Rhodes said substitution of lamb for cheaper meats in takeaway food, as seen in the agency's own data and the survey released today by Which?, is unacceptable and it is working closely with local authorities to ensure robust action is taken against any businesses misleading their customers.
'The further priority testing we have announced today will focus the efforts of enforcement officers and raise awareness amongst food businesses of the action they face for defrauding consumers,' Rhodes added.
On completion of the priority testing program, authenticity testing of takeaway lamb dishes will continue as part of local authority sampling programs.
Image: Lamb chops. Photo courtesy of Tim P.
