The food watchdog is investigating claims meat was found in ready meals advertised in major supermarkets as suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) made the move on Friday after a newspaper report alleged that traces of pork were found in Sainsbury’s own brand “meat-free” meatballs, and traces of turkey were detected in a Tesco macaroni ready meal, which is part of the supermarket’s new vegan foods line.
Religious groups expressed concern about the claims, saying they hoped a product recall would be ordered as a result of the “worrying” findings.
“It is distressing for vegetarian and vegan consumers to learn that they may have consumed food products labelled as suitable for their use that have been shown to contain animal DNA,” the Muslim Council of Britain said.
“We hope that the FSA will implement the recall procedure urgently and carry out a thorough investigation of what appears to be a contravention of the Trades Description Act,” it told the Daily Telegraph, which first published the allegations on Friday.
A spokesman for Europe’s largest kosher agency, Kosher London Beth Din, said: “It is disappointing to hear that pork was found in a supposed vegetarian product – and this news will understandably be worrying for people who do not wish to eat any type of meat.”
The Telegraph reported that it had sent samples to a German government-accredited food testing laboratory, which found the traces of meat in the two products.
A Food Standards Agency spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian on Friday that it was “investigating the circumstances surrounding these alleged incidents and any resulting action will depend upon the evidence found”. The watchdog added: “Our priority is to ensure consumers can be confident that the food they eat is safe and is what it says it is.”
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “These products are produced at a meat-free factory. Sainsbury’s and the Vegetarian Society also carry out regular checks and no issues have been found. We are concerned by these findings, however, and are carrying out a comprehensive investigation alongside our supplier.”
A Tesco spokesman said: “We take the quality and integrity of our products extremely seriously and understand that our vegan and vegetarian products should be exactly that.
“Our initial DNA tests have found no traces of animal DNA in the BBQ Butternut Mac product available in stores today. We would urge the Telegraph to share full details of their testing, including the lab used as we continue to investigate.”
