A butchers business that sold lamb kebabs that contained pork and turkey instead has been fined £15,000 following a trading standards prosecution.
Jack Vonde Meats Ltd sold the kebabs in its Gorleston outlet for three for £10 and had also not informed shoppers they contained eggs, which can trigger allergic reactions in some people.
Today the Great Yarmouth-based business, which went into liquidation last month, was found guilty of three counts of selling food with false labels and one count of failing to comply with EU hygiene law.
The charges relate to Norfolk County Council Trading Standards visits carried out at the company’s branches in Great Yarmouth Market Place and Gorleston High Street in April 2017.
Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court heard a sample of the lamb kebab from the Gorleston branch was sent off for analysis and DNA-tested for common animal species.
Conrad Meehan, prosecuting, said one result showed a kebab was primarily made up of turkey and also contained pork.
He said: “This is not a case of cross contamination. There was no lamb whatsoever in the kebab.”
Mr Meehan said the kebab also contained egg and had not been labelled saying it had some in, despite them being an allergen with the prosecutor saying “an undescribed allergen can result in death”.
The court heard people of certain cultures and religions may have been offended by eating a lamb kebab that contained pork, but the company said none of the kebabs had been sold to the public.
The two charges of selling food with false labels concerned extra lean beef and 5pc mince steak sold in the Yarmouth and Gorleston branches which test results showed contained 15pc and 13pc fat respectively.
Mr Meehan said the Gorleston branch is closed and the Yarmouth store is under new ownership.
In interview director Devan Cannon and manager Edwin Bamfo had made some admissions concerning the products. The company was formed in 2016 and was not represented in court by the liquidators.
Magistrates fined Jack Vonde Meats Ltd £10,000 for the two offences concerning the lamb kebab and £5,000 for the mince and lean beef convictions.
The company was also ordered to pay £7,258 in costs and a £170 victim services surcharge.
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