Chicken containing beef and pork 'served in restaurants'

Restaurants and caterers could have been unknowingly serving pork and beef protein to customers who had ordered chicken, new research suggests.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) found that some injection powders used to help chicken retain water - improving its succulence - contained traces of beef and pork, despite being labelled as containing only chicken protein.

The FSA says the findings affect frozen chicken breast products, which are prepared on multi-needle injection machines. They are distributed mainly to the catering trade through wholesalers.

This use of hydrolysed animal proteins in chicken injection powders is legal, provided they are correctly identified. The findings do not affect fresh chicken bought from supermarkets or butchers, where it is illegal to add any extra ingredients - even water.

The FSA was clear that its findings had no food safety implications, and said that there was no evidence of a widespread problem, but emphasised the importance of giving people the correct information about their food.

Religious groups which are forbidden from eating certain forms of meat have been upset by the revelation.

Bharti Tailor, secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, said that many Hindus will feel that they had broken their own religious code of conduct.

"The fact that the protein powders injected into chickens, which are served in restaurants and cafes, contains even traces of beef or pork is horrific, and that Hindus will have been eating beef-contaminated chickens will be mentally agonising," he said.

IMAGE Chris Radburn/PA