Next horsemeat scandal emerges with millions unknowingly eating goat and skin in doner kebabs
Now look, let’s be honest, when we’re staggering home and nip into see boss man for some scran, we’re not necessarily thinking about what’s going into our body.
But when we do order a specific thing, that’s what we’re hoping to get.
However, it turns out that millions of us have likely unknowingly eaten goat and skin in our doner kebabs.
That’s as DNA testing revealed that kebabs supposed to be ‘70 percent lamb’ came back as ‘less than 10 percent sheep’.
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Kismet Kebabs is said to be one of the UK’s largest doner kebab makers, ‘producing over 100 tons and more of delectable kebab varieties per week’.
But the firm were fined £500,000 after admitting to a fraud that dates back to 2021. And one officer has compared it to the infamous 2013 horsemeat scandal.
A BBC News investigation has found that the kebabs have been sold to fast food outlets for years, with it estimated that Kismet Kebabs made £6 million from the fraud.
The firm said it related to ‘historical events’ over five years ago when they ‘operated under a different leadership structure’.
Trading standards officers in Swansea started to randomly test doner meat from takeaways around the city back in 2020 and 2021. And this flagged the concerning results.
"I think some customers won't be surprised there's a lot of skin and fat in these products - but I don't think many people will be expecting goat," said Swansea trading standards officer Rhys Harries.
He pointed out that someone buying a kebab will know that it’s likely not exactly the ‘best quality ingredients’ but it still needs to be ‘what it says it is’.
"It's almost the same as the horsemeat scandal, because of the volume of product that was going out of this factory,” Harries added.
I mean, plenty of us remember that, when DNA testing found horsemeat in beef products.
The Kismet factory was raided in May 2021 to find out what was in the kebabs that takeaways were buying as lamb.
And the officer says it quickly became clear that no lamb was being delivered to the factory in Essex.
"We didn't see any lamb apart from lamb fat," Harries said.
"There were pallets of goat, pallets of trim, offcuts with high fat content, boxes of fat, boxes of skin, bits of mutton. It all goes into a massive mincer and comes out looking like Play-Doh."
He explained that labels were added that ‘bore no resemblance’ to what was actually going into the kebabs.
"This is straightforward food fraud,” he continued. They were charging wholesalers and consumers a premium price for something that's full of rubbish."
When trading standards went through the ‘recipe cards’ of the exact ingredients used by workers, some lamb recipes only showed goat, beef fat and chicken drumsticks.
Kismet Kebabs were fined £500,000 in court and ordered to pay £259,298 in costs.
Judge Huw Rees said it had engaged in ‘considerable dishonesty’ over a prolonged period of time.
It remains one of the UK’s largest kebab meat suppliers and representative in court, Stuart Jessop, said the company had made significant changes since the raid.
Official statement from Kismet Kebabs
The kebab company issued a statement on 15 June to its customers and partners in the ‘UK and beyond’.
“We are aware of recent media coverage and online commentary regarding court proceedings involving Kismet Kebabs Ltd and would like to provide clarification to our valued business partners.
“The matter relates to historical events that occurred over five years ago and concerns a period when the company operated under different leadership.
“Whilst the court proceedings have only recently concluded, it is important to recognise that the matters in question relate to historical events relating to labelling issues, where no harm was determined and do not reflect the standards, systems, management structure, or operational controls that exist within the business today.
“Over the past several years, Kismet Kebabs Ltd has undertaken substantial investment, restructuring, and continuous improvement across all areas of the organisation. The company has successfully achieved and maintained BRCGS Certification for the past three years and has also maintained BRCGS Module 11: Meat Supply Chain Assurance accreditation for the past two years. These independently audited standards demonstrate our ongoing commitment to food safety, quality, legality, traceability, supplier assurance, and operational excellence.
“Today, the business operates under a robust governance framework supported by comprehensive quality management systems, strict supplier approval procedures, enhanced product integrity controls, regular independent audits, and continuous staff training programmes. These measures ensure that our operations meet the highest standards expected by customers, regulators, suppliers and partners.
“We remain financially stable and fully operational, with 120 dedicated staff. Kismet Kebabs Ltd are committed to maintaining the strong relationships we have built with our customers, suppliers, service providers, insurance partners, logistics providers, and professional advisers. Our day-to-day operations continue as normal, and there has been no disruption to production, customer service, or supply chain activities.
“We greatly value the trust and support that our partners continue to place in Kismet Kebabs Ltd. The business today is significantly different from the business of more than five years ago, and we remain fully committed to transparency, compliance, continuous improvement, and responsible business practices.”
Topics: UK News, Crime, Food And Drink
Jess Battison