South Africa has its own share of mislabelled meat products on the market, according to a recent study* by meat scientists from Stellenbosch University. This news comes after a furore in England over the discovery of horsemeat in a popular supermarket chain’s ‘beef’ lasagne, which has prompted wider testing and discovery of similarly contaminated meat products in that country.

The local study found that anything from donkey to goat and water buffalo were found in 68% of the 139 minced meats, burger patties, deli meats, sausages and dried meats that were tested – and weren’t given their time to shine on the label. Soy and gluten were also found in 28% of the samples. The meat products were obtained from retail outlets and butcheries across the country, but the Western Cape seems to have the highest incidence of mislabelling.

Prof. Louw Hoffman told Eye Witness News (EWN) that he and his team would not be naming and shaming any of the companies involved, but reports indicate that suppliers have been spurred into action by the announcement, and that the Directorate of Food Control at the Department of Health will be launching its own investigation shortly.

The scapegoats (hehe) in general were sausages, burger patties and deli meats. Pork (37%) and chicken (23%) were the most commonly detected animal species in products that were not supposed to contain them. More ‘unconventional’ species such as donkey, goat and water buffalo were also discovered.

The mislabelling not only violates regulations, but also impacts on economic, religious, ethical and health levels. The researchers concluded that the South African meat industry needs to take more responsibility in complying with regulations; that targets must be set to improve meat labelling practices and monitoring methods; and that the current penalties should be made more harsh to deter fraudulent practices.

Interested in more interesting meat? Read our story on eating nose to tail.

*The study, published in the international Food Control journal, was undertaken by Dr Donna-Maree Cawthorn and Prof. Louw Hoffman of the Stellenbosch University Department of Animal Sciences, in conjunction with Harris Steinman of the Food & Allergy Consulting & Testing Services (F.A.C.T.S) in Milnerton.

Image: MrB-MMX