A dirty dozen of fake foods – in pictures
West Yorkshire county council sampled nearly 900 foods on sale in its area in the second half of last year. Well over a third were not what they claimed to be or were not properly labelled
Ham with no pork in it
Several hams contained no pork, only poultry meat or “meat emulsions” from a species other than pork; one ham contained mechanically separated pork not permitted in ham. Photograph: Alamy
Cheese that’s not cheese
Two samples of mozzarella tested showed one was only 40% dairy fat, and another only 75% dairy fat. The substitution of cheaper vegetable oil for milk fat is common in cheese and would be legal so long as it’s not described as cheese, although these were. Photograph: Foodcollection/Getty Images
Mince and diced meat of wrong species
Fourteen samples of mince and diced meat contained other species than the one claimed, for example, a sample called diced beef contained 10% pork, several beef mince samples contained pork, lamb and/or poultry meat too, and meat claiming to be lamb contained no lamb. Photograph: Alamy
Fruit juice with illegal additives
Of 24 samples, nine were not what they claimed or were not properly labeled. Two contained additives that are not permitted in the EU, including brominated vegetable oil, used in sports drinks in the US, designed for use in flame retardants and linked to behavioural problems in rats at high doses. Photograph: Stockdisc/Getty Images
Vitamin and mineral supplements with false claims
43 samples tested, 88% made claims that are not allowed or were mislabelled. Photograph: Getty Images
Herbal slimming tea that was neither herb nor tea
A herbal slimming tea that had a picture of herbs and a cup of tea on its box in fact contained neither but was instead 81% glucose powder mixed with a prescription drug for obesity, now withdrawn because of side-effects, at levels that were 13 times the normal dosage. Photograph: Food and Drink/Rex Features
Saffron that was flower waste
Adulteration of saffron is as old as the middle ages. Three out of five samples contained a high percentage of flower waste instead of the crocus stigmas they should consist of. Photograph: J.Garcia/photocuisine/Corbis
Chocolate and strawberry cereal short of chocolate
A box of breakfast cereal described as chocolate and strawberry was 20% short of the chocolate ingredient it claimed. Photograph: Alamy
Cupcakes with plastic icing
Coloured glitter on cupcakes were bits of plastic film, not permitted for food use. Photograph: Food and Drink/Rex Features
Fake vodka
Three vodkas were below the alcoholic strength required to be called vodka and in one case the spirit was made not from alcohol derived from agricultural produce but from isopropanol, used in antifreeze and as an industrial solvent. Photograph: Food and Drink/Rex Features
Prawns that are half water
A 1kg pack of frozen raw king prawns was in fact only 570g prawn. The frozen glaze accounted for a large part of the weight and the prawns themselves were 18% added water. Photograph: WestEnd61/Rex Features
Tuna flakes in brine
A tin of tuna flakes was 21% short of its declared protein content. Photograph: Martin Lee/Rex Features
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