The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), part of the Food Standards Agency, is investigating, and has confirmed that all affected products have been removed from the supermarket's shelves.
It didn't name the supermarket involved, though many major retailers including Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado moved swiftly as news broke of the investigation to distance themselves from the allegations.
Booths has since confirmed to The Grocer that it was the supermarket in question, but stressed in a statement that it is not under investigation - and that the products in question were removed from shelves and its relationship with the supplier terminated upon discovery of the issue.
Tips for living well -Beef mis-labelled as British
The discovery of mis-labelled beef came to light following an investigation, named Operation Hawk, that involved the review of around 1.3 million documents over several years.
The NFCU are working closely with Booths as a case is brought against the supplier.
The products affected were pre-packed slices of beef and deli products, which were packaged as if they were from the UK, when they were actually from elsewhere in Europe and South America, the unit said. The affected products did not include minced beef, burgers or steak.
Food recall:Why is meat a common target for food fraud?
Meat is an attractive target for potential fraud due to its high price. Premium ingredients are commonly replaced with cheaper alternatives. For example, lamb being replaced with cheaper chicken or meat produced to cheaper quality standards being passed off as premium or from a specific location.
In 2014, Which? investigated takeaway foods and found that over a third of the 60 lamb curries and kebabs we bought in London and Birmingham contained other meats – mainly chicken and beef (which were cheaper than lamb).
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, says: 'It is now over ten years since the horsemeat scandal, but these findings show just how essential it is that food standards in the UK are maintained.
Enforcement bodies must be given the resources to do necessary checks, whether that's on the ground checks by local authorities or our border controls. Consumers should be able to feel confident that the food they buy is what it says on the label.'
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/fraud-probe-into-beef-mis-labelled-as-british-sold-in-a-uk-supermarket-aW9BJ4e3ZobR