Deceptive Meat Labeling Highlighted in New Consumer Watchdog Report

05 Nov 2015 --- Croquettes containing half the quantity of meat declared on the label, sulphites used to make minced beef look fresher and chicken sold as veal in kebabs are but a few of the deceptive practices unveiled in EU consumer watchdog BEUC’s new report “Close-up on the meat we eat – Consumers want honest labels.”

Based on tests carried out by seven BEUC member organisations over the past months, the report reveals meat-based foods might not always live up to consumers’ expectations, when labels are not deliberately misleading them.

Many meat-based foods sold across the European Union (EU) are not properly labelled or do not contain the correct ingredients. As a result, consumers are misinformed about the meat they buy. These shortcomings have been brought to light by seven European consumer organisations through tests carried out between April 2014 and August 2015.

These BEUC member organisations have analysed a range of meat-based foods to check their labels, their ingredients and to check for the presence of undeclared or illegal food additives. The findings revealed frequent cases of:
• Confusing product names;
• Incomplete labels which fail to highlight added water for example, or which fail to declare the percentage of meat in the product;
• Use of illegal food additives;
• Use of undeclared mechanically-separated meat;
• Fraudulent use of other species as a substitute, e.g. Turkey kebab sold as veal.

“With the 2013 horsemeat scandal still fresh in many minds, European consumers should be able to trust the labels on the meat they buy. But if they are to be able to do so, public authorities must tighten their checks to guarantee that food manufacturers abide by EU food laws,” the group stated. In particular, BEUC demands:
• More frequent checks to ensure that labels for meat-based foods are complete, accurate, and do not mislead consumers.
• More systematic checks on the addition of water and on its proper declaration on the label.
• That Member States put greater emphasis on controlling the types and amounts of food additives used.
• That food fraud remains at the top of the agenda for the European Union and Member States. The EU proposal on Official Controls currently under discussion within the Council and European Parliament must provide an effective legal framework to better detect, dissuade and punish fraud.
• The legal definitions of meat preparation and product should be clarified with a view to removing the grey areas which allow unscrupulous businesses to circumvent EU laws. However, BEUC supports retaining the current definition of and labelling requirements for mechanically separated meat (MSM) as it adequately reflects consumers’ perception of this product.

Monique Goyens, BEUC’s Director General, commented: “Consumers should be able to trust the label on the food they buy. If we are serious about rebuilding confidence in meat, EU Member States need to beef up controls and make sure labels are complete and accurate.”

“Those purchasing fresh beef made to look as if it is 100% meat may feel deceived to discover additives in the ingredient list.”

“Also, consumers buying roast pork or grilled sausages should know from the label how much meat they really contain. No one wants to buy water for the price of meat.”

BEUC has issued several recommendations including checks on additives used in meat-based products must be stepped up and cracking down on food fraud must remain high on the EU agenda.

The group noted in its report, for example, that companies are “Playing with words” with food manufacturers often resort to smart tactics to give lower-quality products appealing and misleading names. Some food names have a legal definition and are reserved for food products manufactured with certain ingredients, sometimes in specific quantities. For instance, Belgian “filet américain préparé” is defined as containing a minimum of 70% minced lean meat from beef or horse, to which a limited list of ingredients can be added5. Food manufacturers, however, have found clever ways to circumvent the law by using names such as “préparé” or “préparé du chef”. Although these sound very similar, these products do not meet the “filet américain préparé” criteria as some contain pork. 

BEUC also pointed back to the aftermath of the 2013 horse meat scandal, which put food fraud - and meat adulteration in particular - in the spotlight. This was nevertheless no isolated incident as other cases of fraudulent meat species substitution have been uncovered since then, including by BEUC members’ tests. The group noted how in April 2014, a year on from the horsemeat scandal, an investigation by the UK consumer organisation Which? found 40% of lamb takeaways had been contaminated with other meats, with some containing no lamb at all. Out of 60 takeaway lamb curries and minced kebabs bought from restaurants in Birmingham and London: 39 were revealed to feature beef and chicken disguised as lamb, poultry and turkey as veal.

The full report can be read here.