Kismet Kebabs Fined £500,000 for Selling Goat and Fat as Lamb
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Kismet Kebabs Fined £500,000 for Selling Goat and Fat as Lamb
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Summary
Kismet Kebabs was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay £259,298 in costs after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation over doner meat sold as lamb.
Investigators said the Essex supplier used goat, fat, skin and other cheap meat instead of lamb from 2021, generating an estimated £6 million by charging a premium for mislabeled products.
Swansea trading standards officers uncovered the fraud after DNA tests on takeaway kebabs labeled 70% lamb found less than 10% sheep, then raided the factory and found no lamb meat being delivered.
Recipe cards and production lines showed the same meat mix being packed under different lamb-percentage labels, while one product advertised as 87% lamb was found to be 40% animal fat.
The company, still one of the UK's largest kebab suppliers, said the case concerned historical management and that current operations remain compliant under a food-safety accreditation review.