Millions of takeaway doner kebab lovers are likely to have eaten goat, skin and fat labelled as “lamb”, after one of the UK’s largest kebab makers was caught in a fraud that prosecutors estimate netted £6m.
Kismet Kebabs, based in Latchingdon, Essex, admitted one count of fraud by false representation and was fined £500,000 after DNA tests showed its “lamb” doner kebabs contained “less than 10% sheep”. The company had advertised and labelled its products as containing up to 87% lamb.
“DNA tests show Kismet Kebabs sold goat, skin and fat as lamb, fined £500k.”
The fraud came to light when trading standards officers in Swansea began randomly DNA testing doner meat from takeaways in the city in 2020 and 2021. Results showed that kebabs meant to be 70% lamb were actually “less than 10% sheep”. Investigators raided the Kismet factory in May 2021 and found no lamb on site.
“We didn’t see any lamb apart from lamb fat,” said Rhys Harries, a Swansea trading standards officer. “There were pallets of goat, pallets of trim, offcuts with high fat content, boxes of fat, boxes of skin, bits of mutton. It all goes into a massive mincer and comes out looking like Play-Doh.”
Harries compared the scale of the fraud to the 2013 horsemeat scandal, one of the most high-profile food fraud crises in recent history. “It’s almost the same as the horsemeat scandal, because of the volume of product that was going out of this factory.”
Kismet Kebabs, which produces more than 100 tonnes of kebab varieties every week, said the fraud related to “historical events” over five years ago when it “operated under a different leadership structure”. The company, established in 2008, had been selling the mislabelled kebabs to fast food outlets across the UK for years.
“I think some customers won’t be surprised there’s a lot of skin and fat in these products – but I don’t think many people will be expecting goat,” Harries said. “A consumer buying a kebab knows it’s probably not the best quality ingredients, but it’s still got to be what it says it is.”
The fine of £500,000, imposed after the company admitted the offence, reflects the estimated £6m profit from the fraud. Questions remain over how many kebabs were affected and whether other kebab makers may be involved in similar practices.