Pork not found in halal burger

The makers of halal lamb burgers at the centre of a contamination scare in Leicester schools, say new tests show their products were completely pork free.

Paragon Quality Foods – based near Doncaster – say their reputation has been 'unfairly damaged' by the results of the tests carried out on behalf of Leicester City Council.

Their burgers were withdrawn from 24 schools in the city as a precaution earlier this month.

Mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby, said the council wil do additional tests.

Paragon Quality Foods, the company at the centre of a scare over halal lamb burgers, say their products are 'pork free', despite tests by Leicester City Council.

The firm said the initial DNA tests carried out by the council, which found halal burgers contained some pork, were not carried out on a formal controlled sample .The company sent samples to an independent specialist.

Leicester City Council said last week that they had removed the burgers as a precautionary measure while further tests on the burgers were carried out. They also said they would no longer continue to work with the company,

The manufacturers of halal lamb burgers withdrawn from schools in Leicester after a sample was said to contain pork, have challenged the findings of the test.

Leicester City Council took the decision to remove all the halal lamb burgers from schools following the scare and 6000 letters were sent out to parents, following DNA tests at Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods Limited.

The company say the tests were not based on a formal controlled sample and are challenging the decision. They say their own independent analysis shows the results should have come back that the burgers were 'pork free'.

An investigation is underway into how traces of pork ended up in halal lamb burgers served in schools in Leicester. The City Council has recalled the meat and written to six thousand families affected.

The Muslim community, which is banned from eating pork, say they're "shocked."

Here's our full report from Peter Bearne.

The Food Standards Agency and Doncaster Metropolitan Council are investigating how, and where, pork got into halal lamb burgers that were then supplied to schools in Leicester.

Further tests are being carried out on remaining stock at Paragon Quality Foods in Doncaster.

The council has contacted the headteachers of the 19 schools potentially affected to advise them of the action being taken. 6000 letters have also been sent to parents of children at the schools concerned. Meetings have also taken place with Muslim city councillors.

Leicester City Council say the only product they sourced from Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods was halal lamb burgers that were found to contain pork.

19 of the 24 schools in the city that use halal meat are affected.

The company says it is also working with the council to provide all information requested and add that they are satisfied with practices and procedures. They are awaiting the results of further testing.

Halal lamb burgers, manufactured by Paragon Quality Foods Limited, have been withdrawn from Leicester schools after tests revealed a sample contained pork.

Leicester City Council have confirmed they are no longer working with the business at the centre of a food contamination issue in the city. 19 schools are affected by the news that a sample halal lamb burger was found to contain pork meat.