An FSA review of local authority sampling data, from July to December 2013, found that 43 out of 145 samples of lamb takeaway meals contained meat other than lamb. In total, 25 of these samples were found to contain only beef. Other meat species identified included chicken and turkey. No samples were found to contain horse meat.

In response to the ongoing concerns about lamb substitution, the FSA is starting a further round of priority testing of lamb takeaway dishes from businesses across the UK. Local authorities are being asked to test 300 samples from takeaway restaurants and report the findings to the FSA. Sampling will start at the beginning of May. The mislabelling of food can result in fines of up to £5,000.

The concerns identified in the local authority data are also reflected in a survey of lamb dishes from restaurants in Birmingham and London released today by Which? The consumer organisation purchased 60 lamb takeaways, 30 curries and 30 minced lamb kebabs, of which a total of 24 were adulterated with beef and chicken.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA, said: '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.

'Prosecutions have taken place against business owners for mislabelling lamb dishes, but the recurring nature of the problem shows there needs to be a renewed effort to tackle this problem. Clearly the message isn’t getting through to some businesses.

'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.'

Following the completion of the priority testing programme, authenticity testing of takeaway lamb dishes will continue as part of local authority sampling programmes.

Which? survey

A year on from the horsemeat scandal, Which? tested 60 takeaway lamb curries and minced kebabs from restaurants in Birmingham and London and found that 24 of them had been mixed with other meats, such as beef and chicken. Worryingly, seven of the samples contained no lamb at all.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said:

'Our research uncovers shocking evidence of food fraud. The Government, local authorities and the FSA need to make tackling food fraud a priority and take tougher action to crack down on the offenders. This is vital to restoring trust in the industry, which is not only good for consumers but good for businesses too.'

That's why today we've launched our Stop Food Fraud campaign - we need your help to ensure action is taken so you can trust that the food you buy is what it says it is.

NSA hugely disappointed

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is hugely disappointed by the news that 43 out of 145 meat samples from lamb takeaways recently tested by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) were not in fact lamb.
 

NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker says: “We are really disappointed that this is still going on and lessons haven’t been learnt from the horsemeat scandal. Transparency and honest labelling that people can trust is absolutely essential and NSA is pleased the FSA and local authorities will be is taking additional action to stamp out malpractice.
 

“Sheep farmers work exceptionally hard to do the job right and turn out a high quality and traceable product; they are subject to strict animal identification laws and onerous inspection regimes, and many voluntarily participate in additional assurance schemes too. This news is a slap in the face to a sheep sector that puts in so much effort. We have been let down by individuals further up the food chain who are not showing respect for the honesty, traceability and high value of the work sheep farmers do.”