Tests found that two thirds of ham and cheese pizzas contained neither ham or cheese

Two thirds of ham and cheese pizzas tested by trading standards officers in Derbyshire failed to contain ham or cheese, it has been revealed. Derbyshire County Council says its officers visited 15 takeaways across the county between January and March to test ham and cheese pizzas for substitution and salt levels. Of the samples tested, eight were found to contain a mixture of cheese and cheese substitute rather than 100% cheese, five contained turkey ham instead of ham and one pizza contained salt higher than the recommended amount. The council’s trading standards team is also investigating a supplier who misled a business by claiming they were selling real cheese.
Further tests revealed it was a mixture of cheese and cheese substitute. It is now issuing reminders to food businesses warning them that they could face prosecution under the Food Safety Act if they do not describe food correctly or properly label it for sale. Councillor Dave Allen, cabinet member for health and communities, said: “It’s important that we keep consumers safe from any misleading or false information when it comes to what’s in their food.
“Our trading standards officers regularly take samples from food businesses and as well as having a duty to protect consumers from falsely described food they also have a duty to protect legitimate traders. Mislabeling food and ingredients can be very dangerous – especially for people with allergies to certain products – and we will not shy away from taking formal action against businesses that deliberately break the law.”