The UK Food Standard Agency has issued the following comment following the Guardian news item on chicken allegedly doctored with beef protein. (Read a summary of that news item here.)
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The UK Food Standards Agency’s own work found traces of pork DNA in December last year (2001) in frozen imported chicken breasts. Our techniques were then further developed by the Irish food authority, which found some traces of bovine DNA. Their results were published 21 May 2002.
At this stage, no bovine material has been found in chicken in the UK. However, the Agency will be conducting more sensitive tests to see if it is present. Any bovine material should have been subject to European-wide BSE controls, the same controls which apply to all beef products. Therefore, provided these controls have been applied, any traces of beef that may be
in the chicken products would not raise any new food safety concerns.
The Irish have not banned all of these brands or products. They have only retained those samples which were found to contain bovine DNA and were mislabelled in their survey. These have been detained in the cold store for disposal. The UK cannot retain foods on mislabelling grounds, but at least one prosecution has been taken as a result of the Agency survey.
Under European law, it is not in itself illegal to add water or hydrolised protein (for example, pork) if the added ingredients are properly labelled. If the chicken products are not accurately labelled, this breaks food labelling
law.
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By GlobalDataThe Agency has raised its concerns with the Dutch authorities. However, we are not satisfied with their response and have raised it with the European Commission. Further surveys will take place later this year with a view to further enforcement action.
