BBC finds foreign beef is being sold as British

6th May 2008, 12:21pm

Some 20% of beef sold in pubs and restaurants as ‘local’ or ‘British’ actually comes from abroad, the BBC has found.

DNA testing at 40 food outlets in south-west England found that the beef was in fact foreign.

During the investigation the BBC took samples of beef from food and drink establishments and sent it off for DNA-analysis. Scientists at Dublin-based DNA specialists Identigen found that eight of the samples had the DNA exotic cattle that only exist in South America and Africa.

As a result of this, farmers want tighter regulations of beef labelled 'British' in restaurants. They want eateries to prove where meat has come from in the same way butchers have to do with raw meat.

Concerns are that consumers do not realise when they are being served poor-quality meat from parts of the world with lower standards of animal welfare and hygiene.

Jilly Greed, who represents the National Beef Association in south-west England, explained to the BBC: "It's a great big con. It's pure exploitation of consumer demand for real local food – and until there's a properly audited trail through the hospitality industry, the situation is going to get worse."

The government told the BBC it had not been aware that foreign beef was being passed off as British or local in food outlets. Very few businesses have ever been prosecuted over the issue.

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