The survey, carried out last month by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), along with the Health Service Executive, detected the presence of proteins other than lamb in samples taken from takeaway outlets across Dublin. The samples were tested for DNA from bovine, pig, sheep, goat, horse, chicken and turkey in 10 kebabs and 10 lamb dishes, the FSAI said.
It said that while no horse, goat, pig or turkey was detected, six of seven foods found to contain undeclared product were described as lamb kebabs and contained little, if any, lamb. The six kebabs were reported to contain over 60% chicken and between five to 30% beef. Only three of the six contained any lamb, with levels as low as between one and 5%.
Of the 10 lamb dishes sampled, only one was found to be contaminated and found to contain over 60% beef, and just 30% of lamb.
The FSAI said that while the issue was not one of food safety, it raised concerns about the extent to which consumers were being misled.
Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive, FSAI, said: "When you order a lamb kebab you expect to get a lamb kebab and not a beef and chicken kebab. Incorrectly listing meat products on a menu or menu board, whether inadvertently or by design, is an unacceptable infringement of the labelling legislation. The FSAI is committed to protecting consumers’ interests and ensuring the integrity of the Irish food supply chain. We will not hesitate to take appropriate action on food businesses that are found to be intentionally misleading consumers through incorrect labelling or display on a menu or menu board."
The Irish meat sector is still recovering from the horsemeat scandal, which was first uncovered during testing by the FSAI. Professor Reilly said consumer trust and confidence was vital for the country’s food sector, and called on companies to ensure robust controls were in place to guarantee the authenticity of supplies.
As part of an ongoing EU-wide programme on food fraud, the FSAI also announced that a survey of 52 beef products, including burgers, meat balls, ready meals and corned beef, found no traces of horse DNA. It said that the clear results "demonstrates compliance by the industry".