Oink Oink went the chicken

[Guest pelmetman]

Pork DNA has been found in Halal chicken sausages served in at least one primary school, Westminster Council said.

 

The school affected has been named as St Mary's Bryanston Square, a Church of England school in west London.

 

Other tests revealed lean minced beef supplied to the council showed evidence of lamb and pork DNA.

The council said it immediately ensured both items were removed from all school menus.

And it said it had instructed its contractor to temporarily cease supplying meat until the issue was resolved.

 

The council added it had asked its contractor to no longer use its Halal meat supplier.

The problem came to light after the authority decided to carry out its own proactive tests on food contamination in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

 

The council said officers took seven samples in total from three schools in the week beginning February 25, adding the tests "were carried out on our own initiative and not carried out as the result of any specific concerns about school food standards".

 

The testing, which involved analysis for the presence of DNA from beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, goat and horse, all proved negative for horse DNA.

However, a preliminary report received on Friday suggested pig DNA could be present in the Halal chicken sausages range.

 

The result was found in one sample taken at a Westminster primary school. A further round of tests has confirmed the preliminary findings.

 

The Halal sausages were a menu choice in 15 primary schools, two nurseries, one special school and one pupil referral unit, all of which took Halal-only meat. The lean minced beef was used in 18 schools.

The authority said it had launched its own investigation to establish how the contamination arose.

 

I wonder why they don't offer a non Halal meat option? :-S............for those who like their meat slaughtered humanly *-)