Nick Clegg: 'I'm concerned about rat meat in kebabs'

Clegg speaks of takeaway fears in appearance on LBC Radio

Nick Clegg says he is “very concerned” that takeaways are selling kebabs containing rat meat.

The Deputy Prime Minister was quizzed on the findings of a joint report by the Food Standards Agency and consumer group Which? during an appearance on LBC Radio today.

The report discovered that takeaways are routinely selling curries and kebabs containing pork, beef, chicken, turkey and “suspect” unidentified meats.

Asked if he was concerned at the thought of cat, dog and rat meat appearing in kebabs, Mr Clegg said: “I’d be very concerned by that. I’d expect the health inspection authorities to look into this”.

The Which? study analysed 60 lamb dishes, and found that 29 were “suspect”. They reported that 17 contained rogue meats, seven contained no lamb at all, and five dishes could not be identified.

And the FSA analysis found that 30 per cent of the 145 lamb meals they studied contained different meats.

Lamb is relatively expensive compared to other meats, which could explain why some takeaways are sourcing cheaper options.

During the appearance on the radio talk show, Mr Clegg also revealed that the last fast food he ate was a McDonalds from a service station on the M1.

Asked if he opted to “go large”, Mr Clegg said: “What do you mean, go large?”

“I had a meal deal if you really must know,” he added.