AN Alcester Indian restaurant has been prosecuted by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service for serving a lamb bhuna meal which was 99 per cent beef.

Cardamom India Cuisine, in Swan Street, received a two-year conditional discharge after it pleaded guilty to one offence under section 14 of the Food Safety Act 1990 at Nuneaton Magistrates Court on January 19.

Les Caborn, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for community safety, said: “It is important that restaurants and takeaways are not substituting cheaper meats, beef or chicken for example, for more expensive ones such as lamb.

“Not only is there a risk that consumers are paying expensive prices for cheaper meats, but there can be food safety implications as well for people with allergies to certain foods.”

Richard Chattaway, Warwickshire County Councillor overview and scrutiny committee chair, added: “Consumers want to know that the food they are eating is what it claims to be and Trading Standards has a role to play in ensuring that food is accurately and honesty described.”

During mitigation, defending, Mr Iqbal of Z Law Solicitors, said that the suppliers delivered the wrong meat and the chef then made an error in failing to correctly identify the meat.

He added that there is now a system in place to stop this happening again.

Warwickshire Trading Standards has been carrying out testing on a range of takeaway foods for ingredients and colourings.