Caterers found to use lamb substitutes

- Published: 16 April, 2010

A warning has gone out to caterers across the Midlands after Trading Standards chiefs found that 40% of lamb tested contained other meats.

A total of 55 samples of meat products, which should traditionally be made of lamb, were purchased by officers. Tests then revealed that 21 of the samples contained meat other than lamb, with pork mostly being used as a lamb subsitute. Products tested included traditional lamb dishes such as lamb balti, sheek kebab and keema naan.

Trading Standards are now warning caterers that they must clearly state what their dishes contain. "We have a duty to protect caterers who prepare dishes using traditional recipes, as well as the public who in these cases were thinking they were eating only lamb, not pork," said a Trading Standards spokesman. "Businesses need to be aware that we will continue investigations, because meat product breaches such as these are very serious."

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