Adding beef, pork and water to chicken destined for use in pubs should be banned across Europe, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The FSA, which has come under fire for failing to crack down efficiently on the scam, has called for new European laws that would cap the amount of water added to chicken at 15 per cent and outlaw the use of pork and beef in chicken meat.
"Under European law it is not illegal to add huge amounts of water or beef and pork proteins to chicken as long as it appears on the label. It may be legal but it doesn't make it acceptable," said FSA chairman Sir John Krebs.
"The only reason to add the proteins is to pump up the water content to high levels. That's a recipe for ripping consumers off. That is why we consider that the amount of water that can be added to chicken should be limited and the use of non-chicken proteins banned."
Earlier this year an FSA investigation revealed that many chicken processors, many of them based in Holland and Belgium, were adding excessive amounts of water to chicken breasts to make them appear larger. Some of the meat was more than 50 per cent water - meaning customers, who included many publicans, were paying for less meat than they actually received. Shockingly, some of the unscrupulous processors were also found to be adding protein taken from pigs and cattle to the chicken meat to make it hold more water.
When a Panorama documentary in May discovered the practice was continuing despite the FSA's efforts, the agency was criticised for failing to act.
Now it is proposing new laws to stamp out the scam.
But there are still concerns that the practice could continue even if the European Commission agrees to new legislation.
Any new law would apply only to poultry meaning other meats could still be processed in the same way. Another concern is that Panorama investigators uncovered manufacturers who claimed to be able to add pork and beef to chicken without it being detected - meaning new laws would not affect them.
Related articles:
Panorama exposes on-going chicken scam (28 May 2003)
Unscrupulous chicken suppliers slammed by FSA (20 March 2003)