§ Lord Clement-Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking in response to reports of frozen chicken adulterated with beef protein powder being imported from the Netherlands. [HL5197]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe problem of mislabelling, under-declaring added water, and not disclosing hydrolysed chicken and pork proteins in frozen chicken breast was first reported by the Food Standards Agency in December 2001. The agency informed local authorities, the European Commission, the Dutch and Belgian authorities, as well as the Irish Food Safety Authority, who carried out a similar study. The Irish study published in May 2002 revealed similar results, but in addition found some samples containing undisclosed beef protein in chicken imported from the Netherlands.
The agency obtained a commitment from the Dutch authorities to put inspection of the poultry plants involved on their priority list. This action has been further reinforced by the European Commission, who in June threatened infraction proceedings against the Dutch government if the problem of mislabelling is not resolved. The United Kingdom study was carried out in close co-operation with local authority enforcement staff, and one UK wholesaler has been prosecuted as a result.