Kebab fined over Rs 6.3 crore for selling ‘mainly skin and fat’ mutton in UK; to be paid within 4 years

A major UK kebab maker has been slapped with a hefty fine for deceiving the public by selling “mutton” kebabs that were actually made up mostly of skin, fat and cheap meat, the BBC reports.Kismet Kebabs Ltd, based in Chelmsford, Essex, was fined £500,000 (approximately Rs 63 crore). The company supplies takeaways and restaurants across the UK. It was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £259,298.The case came to a conclusion after Kismet Kebabs Ltd pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation.The court heard the deception came to light following a regional sample investigation launched in late 2020 and early 2021. Officers checked the meat content of kebabs sold in local restaurants and takeaways and found Kismet’s product did not match the description on its label. Further laboratory testing confirmed that the actual meat content was “significantly different” than advertised.Lee Reynolds, prosecuting on behalf of Swansea Council, told the court the company had “misled wholesalers, retailers and consumers” by producing products with labels indicating specific amounts of meat, even though the company knew the labels were incorrect.“Most of what is described as lamb is actually skin and fat,” Reynolds said. “The company knowingly and regularly purchased goat, lamb fat, hides, mutton and sheep meat [sheep meat]once processed in their factories, is sold as mutton. “The investigation was extended to include the National Food Crime Unit and the Food Standards Agency. It is understood Essex Council has a long history of dealing with Kismet through its main authority partnership, during which time it has received numerous complaints from other local authorities in England about labeling anomalies. One audited example showed that a kebab claiming to be 87% mutton actually consisted of only 51% meat and 40% fat.Trading standards officers raided Kismet’s factory in Essex on 20 May 2021 and found serious flaws in production, packaging and labelling. Company invoices prove that actual mutton purchases were small. Instead, the business purchased large amounts of skins, fat, goats and “low-grade ‘meat’ products that cannot be called meat by legal definition.”Additionally, the plant is producing a mechanically derived meat blend consisting primarily of “neck meat, mutton, water and ice,” which are counted toward the official meat content declared on the packaging.The first fine was suggested to be between £15 million and £24 million, but prosecutors said the range was “completely unrealistic”.The company now has four years to pay the full fine.