Mystery Meat
Strange
news from Wales:
Dragon sausage food farce
A Welsh food firm last night hit out at bizarre rules that have forced it to explain that its 'dragon sausages' do not really contain dragons.
The company has been warned it could face legal action for misleading people that it uses dragon meat in its fiery sausages.
Trading standards chiefs are forcing the meat firm, Black Mountains Smokery, to include the word 'pork' on its labels for their Welsh Dragon Sausages, even though pork is already included on the list of ingredients - and dragons are obviously mythical.
The clampdown to satisfy the Government's Food Labelling Regulations was yesterday criticised by the Black Mountains Smokery boss.
Jon Carthew said the sausages had fallen foul of bureaucracy. 'I don't think any of our customers actually believe that we use dragon meat in our sausages,' he said. 'We use the word because the dragon is synonymous with Wales and I think everyone who buys from us knows that.'
His firm in Crickhowell turns out 200,000 sausages a year, with the Welsh Dragon Sausage including hot chilli.
His sausages, made from pork, leek and chilli, are sent to restaurants and stores all over Britain.
But he was stunned to get a warning letter from Powys County Council's Trading Standards Department, which had analysed his bangers.
It read, 'The public analyst has stated that the name Welsh Dragon Sausage is not sufficiently precise to inform a purchaser of the true nature of the food.
'It is recommended that you include the type of meat eg pork/beef in the name of the food.'
The consumer watchdogs swooped after being tipped off that the sausages were in breach of the 1996 Food Labelling Act of misleading description on their Welsh Dragon Sausage.
The trading standards department ran a full analysis - and proved there was no dragon in it. The firm was informed it was an offence and they were breaking the law because of the misleading name.
Emphasis mine -- just how do you test for the presence of Dragon flesh.
Here is the website for
Black Mountains Smokery
My mouth is watering...
Posted by DaveH at November 20, 2006 7:30 PM