Claims NZ lamb mince in UK watered down

British food technicians checking "New Zealand lamb mince" being sold in England allege it has four times the legal level of added water.

County analysts for Lancashire Trading Standards said their tests had found the imported lamb products contained illegal levels of water, the Lancashire Telegraph newspaper reported. But a spokesman for the Meat Industry Association in Wellington said New Zealand exported little if any lamb mince to Britain.

"NZ lamb mince sold in the UK is manufactured in the UK and therefore New Zealand meat producers have no control over ensuring that the UK labelling requirements are met," said the spokesman, Kevin Creswell.