British Kebab firm fined £500k for what it was actually selling as 'lamb kebabs'

Kebabs have long been the go-to for drunken students after a night out but they might be re-thinking their options after this update.

Kismet Kebabs Ltd, an Essex-based company, has now been fined a hefty £500k fee after an investigation exposed what they were actually selling as lamb kebabs, and it's enough to put you off them for good.

When it comes to the post night-out snack, a kebab is seemingly unrivalled, especially considering the protein content that the health influencers will be telling you about as they try to convince you why going on the carnivore diet is a good idea.

However, as is often the case, these kebabs contained far less protein than was previously advertised, as the lamb products contained very little actual lamb, and instead consisted of 'fat, skin, assorted meats and mechanically reclaimed meat products'.

Lee Reynolds, prosecuting on behalf of Swansea Council, told the court on Friday 5 June that the firm had 'misled wholesalers, retailers and consumers'.

He said: "Much of what was being described as lamb was in fact skin and fat.

"The company routinely and knowingly purchased goat, lamb fat, skin, mutton, and ovine [sheep meat], and once processed through their factory sold it as lamb.

"In addition, other products were sold as specific meat products when the item contained meat of a different species."

The kebab company earned itself a huge fine (Swansea Council)

The company has also been ordered to pay £259,298 in costs with the judge suggesting that Kismet had engaged in 'considerable dishonesty' for a prolonged period, although it wasn't until routine trading standard checks in 2020 and 2021 that the council would catch on to the company's wrongdoings.

The Swansea Council had been checking the meat species and descriptions applied to kebab meat at establishments in the local area and Kismet was quickly flagged as one where the meat content did not match what was on the label.

At that point, further lab tests were ordered and it was soon obvious that the meat that was inside the kebabs was significantly different to what was being advertised to unsuspecting customers, who were no doubt a little confused as to why the lamb was so stringy.

Images inside the company factory (Swansea Council)

Essex Council had a long history of partnership with Kismet but that has also now been terminated due to 'lack of operation' and 'serious labelling and potential public health issues'.

Multiple concerns were also raised when Swansea Council visited the company's factory in Chelmsford back in 2021, as invoices revealed that very little lamb was actually being bought, with the kebabs instead made up of a high percentage of fat, skin, goat and other lower-grade products which cannot even be legally described as meat.

Reynolds said that the company engaged in 'organised, planned, unlawful activity' and 'misled wholesalers, retailers and consumers', while suggesting that an offence of this gravity would normally demand fines in the region of £12m.

However, he admitted that was unrealistic, and the company will now have four years to pay up the total £759,298.