An investigation by BBC News has uncovered a major food fraud case involving Kismet Kebabs, one of the UK's largest doner kebab suppliers.DNA testing carried out as part of trading standards checks revealed that products marketed and sold as lamb doner kebabs, often labelled as containing around 70% to 87% lamb, in reality contained less than 10% sheep meat.Instead, the products were found to include a mixture of goat, beef fat, mutton, skin, and other low-grade animal trimmings.The investigation began after Swansea trading standards officers conducted random DNA tests on kebab meat supplied to takeaways in 2020 and 2021.The results raised serious concerns, leading to a wider inquiry into the company’s operations.

Officers later described factory conditions where no lamb meat was present beyond traces of fat, with large quantities of offcuts and mixed animal products being processed and minced together into doner kebab meat.The fraud is estimated to have generated around £6 million in sales over several years.At Swansea Crown Court, the company admitted to offences and was fined £500,000, along with an order to pay additional legal costs.The judge described the conduct as involving considerable dishonesty over a prolonged period.Investigators also compared the case to the 2013 horsemeat scandal due to the scale and nature of mislabelling.The Food Standards Agency stated that while such cases are taken seriously, overall food safety standards in the UK remain high.

Kismet Kebabs said the issues related to historical practices under previous management and insisted the business has since changed its operations and controls.Despite the findings, the company remains a significant supplier in the UK kebab industry and retains food safety accreditation following review.