Food Safety

DNA of Food Samples

Request

How many items of food have been sampled, where it was found that it contained DNA that belonged to another animal other than the one listed as being sold?

Could this information be broken down by year, and by DNA found?

 

Time frame: 2007-2018

Products: beef products, chicken products, lamb products, ostrich products, duck products and fish products

By products, I am meaning ready meals and processed meats

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600.  This is because of the time it will take to identify and retrieve all of the information that might be within scope and to compile the material, applying appropriate redactions. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request, for example by reducing the time period in order that the costs can be brought below £600.