Pork and chicken – what else is in your lamb curry?

Its not true that for religious reasons many people “cannot eat pork or beef” its just that they have been indoctrinated to believe that their God disapproves of one meat or the other.
Actual physical intorence to some food is something else entirely.
As far as I know lamb in Indian restauarants is often goat, which in my opinion is an excellent meat though not normally sold in the UK food stores.

That’s quite a specific point about language! Obviously I’m not implying that people are physically incapable of eating it, but I think it is extremely important to consider other people’s beliefs, even if you don’t subscribe to them yourself. In the same way as I’d be horrified to find meat in something labelled ‘vegetarian’ I’d be horrified to know that friends I have who are Jewish have unknowingly eaten pork, for example. Especially if it’s a cost-cutting measure on the part of the restaurant, as it seems to be, rather than a genuine mistake.

I completely agree, Bob, but we live in a world where cheating consumers is the norm and has a particularly long history in the case of food adulteration. I would love if all the cheats could be fined or put out of business, but I don’t see this happening any time soon.

Eating the wrong meat is not going to make me ill, whereas poor hygiene could. That is why food hygiene is my priority. If Trading Standards was funded by fines then it could have the resources to tackle the cheating traders.

Dont know about the ill bit, whatever I ate in that kebab roll in London was certainly not lamb, and made me as sick as the dog it probably was.
And the vendors had the cheek to put a Halal sign in the window!
If TSO wont act, how about the religious police stepping in?

[Hi M., we’ve made a small edit to your comment for libel reasons. Thanks, mods.]

@m.

Religious police in Britain?!… in countries that have, intercede
principally as to infringements of Sharia (law).

Nah… wdn’t myself eat greasy cuts from such big blob of compacted minced
meat on a takeaway that are often manufactured and purchased from a
central depot or warehouse.

In upmarket Turkish restaurants, chefs may lovingly prepare
stuff themselves with authentic proper meat (may throw in offal though)
that I had a positive experience of consuming, but
just once, as a dinner guest.

@Argonautoftheseas.
If claiming dodgy/ doggy meat is Halal isn’t breaking Sharia law, then I don’t know what is!
Anyway it was a tongue in cheek comment [ouch].
My mistake, for eating that take away when I could have bought a couple of apples instead.

Speaking of Turkish restaurants, there is one I do frequent, I now know the chefs routine and go when he is ‘practising’ new dishes. He will lovingly cook something then bring it to my table for a taste test & feedback, or else he will be training some of the others and asks me what I think of their attempt at such and such a dish. I do make a token order which I inevitably take home, as by the time I have finished I am well and truly stuffed…

@m.

Agree… for a Muslim knowingly/intentionally to eat pork is against Sharia
and deemed a serious transgression. [I have a friend, however, a born Muslim
with English wife, who freely eats pork but he’s a non-believer, a non
-conformist, he says].

[Arguably mosque elders cd step in, in cases of Muslims KNOWINGLY
purveying pork to fellow Muslims which injunction issued if any, wd have
at best, a persuasive effect on offending seller IMO].

You’re not alone, that ex-home secretary girl Smith liked kebab
takeaways too.

Personally don’t like to eat anything processed whose meat origins I
can’t clearly account for, even if identifiable, including sausages.
both British, Spanish or from wherever….put in another way, very
rarely eat ’em at all.

Commonly refer to beef or lamb but best seek clarification.

Unless something has changed, lamb and mutton just refer to young and old animals, respectively, so DNA analysis will not distinguish between them.

That does re-enforce my point really. Legally mutton, from a trading standards view point, is a different product to lamb and should be identified as such to consumers via menus etc. I guess my point is that Lamb Fraud is actually a far wider issue than this survey would suggest.

Without a suitable test, it is likely to be difficult to police this, Matthew. Perhaps it is better to start by tackling the food substitution problems that are easy to demonstrate.

Another example of food substitution that is difficult to detect is genetically manipulated soya. The test is not sensitive and unscrupulous companies take advantage of this.

Had you also contacted Booths about the product? They should have examined all the other packs on sale and gone back along the food chain to protect other customers. They would no doubt have given you your money back as well which is more than I expect you’ll get from the manufacturer.