Introduction to the Kebab Fraud
If you enjoy takeaway doner kebabs, recent revelations may alter your perspective.
Millions of consumers are believed to have eaten kebabs containing goat, skin, and fat, mislabeled as lamb meat. Investigators have likened this fraud to the 2013 horsemeat lasagne scandal.
has learned that Kismet Kebabs, which claims to be one of the UK's largest doner kebab producers, supplied these products to fast food outlets nationwide over several years.
The company pleaded guilty to fraud dating back to 2021 and was fined £500,000.
Kismet Kebabs, estimated to have profited £6 million from the fraud, stated the issue pertained to "historical events that occurred over five years ago" and that the company operated under a different leadership structure at that time.
Founded in 2008, Kismet Kebabs produces over 100 tonnes of kebab varieties weekly.
Mislabeling and DNA Testing
Kismet Kebabs marketed its lamb doner kebabs as containing up to 87% lamb, varying by product.
Concerns arose when Swansea trading standards officers conducted random DNA tests on doner meat from local takeaways in 2020 and 2021.
Samples labeled as "70% lamb" were found to contain less than 10% sheep DNA.
"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," said Swansea trading standards officer Rhys Harries.
"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," Harries added.
"It's almost the same as the horsemeat scandal, because of the volume of product that was going out of this factory."
Background on the Horsemeat Scandal
The 2013 horsemeat scandal was a significant food fraud event in recent history, revealing horsemeat in beef products through DNA testing. This led to numerous processed foods being withdrawn across Europe.
Factory Raid and Findings
In May 2021, investigators raided Kismet's factory in Essex to determine the actual contents of the kebabs, as takeaways believed they were purchasing lamb as labeled.
Harries reported that upon visiting the Latchingdon premises near Chelmsford, it was evident that no lamb was being delivered to the factory.
"We didn't see any lamb apart from lamb fat," Harries said.
"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."
The large kebab sticks produced were then labeled to indicate they contained between 50% and 90% lamb, depending on the recipe.
Labeling Discrepancies
Investigators observed that on one production line, identical trays of doner meat were packaged into two different packets: one labeled "70% lamb" and another labeled "50% lamb".
"We were seeing labels that bore no resemblance to what they were actually putting in [to the kebabs]," Harries stated.
"This is straightforward food fraud. They were charging wholesalers and consumers a premium price for something that's full of rubbish."
Complaints and Court Proceedings
Last month, Swansea Crown Court heard that councils across England had raised complaints about labeling and meat content issues at Kismet Kebabs, despite the company having won Best Supplier of the Year at the 2021 British Kebab Awards.
One lamb doner kebab claiming 87% lamb was found to contain 40% animal fat.
Trading standards officers reported that the volume of kebabs sold during the offending period was so large that it took two officers 18 months to review all invoices and paperwork.
Recipe Cards and Ingredient Analysis
Among the findings were "recipe cards" detailing the exact ingredients used to produce the lamb kebabs, which indicated no lamb meat was used in production.
Some recipes listed only goat, beef fat, and chicken drumsticks.
"It was so wrong - it had to be fraudulent," Harries said.
Legal Outcome and Company Response
Kismet Kebabs directors Panayiotis Vasilis Michael and Djemal Enver admitted one count of fraud by false representation.
The company was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay £259,298 in costs. Judge Huw Rees described the firm's conduct as involving "considerable dishonesty" over an extended period.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) noted that sampling initiatives like those used in this investigation are targeted and affirmed that food safety and standards in the UK remain high.
"Food must be safe and accurately labelled, wherever it's sold, and we take food fraud and mislabelling seriously," said Andrew Quinn, head of the FSA's national food crime unit.
Kismet Kebab's defence lawyer stated in court that the firm had made "little financial gain."
Stuart Jessop, representing Kismet, said the company acknowledged it had "taken its eye off the ball" but had implemented significant changes since the raid and had operated successfully for many years without issue.
Current Status and Accreditation
Kismet Kebabs remains one of the UK's largest kebab meat suppliers.
In 2024, the company received accreditation from BRCGS (Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standards), a global food safety standard recognized in 130 countries.
After BRCGS learned of the court proceedings, it reviewed the accreditation and confirmed last month that Kismet Kebabs remains compliant.
In a statement, Kismet Kebabs Ltd emphasized that the business is "significantly different" from how it was managed five years ago.
"It is important to recognise that the matters in question relate to historical events and do not reflect the standards, systems, management structure, or operational controls that exist within the business today," a spokesperson added.
