A WORLDWIDE crackdown on ‘food crime’, led by Interpol, saw products in East Lothian takeaways and supermarkets covertly sampled.

Operation OPSON VI saw environmental health officers turn food detectives over 12 months as they checked out where county restaurants were sourcing their ingredients and tested curries for potentially dangerous contents.

One unnamed establishment was caught out with undeclared peanuts in a lamb korma and has since changed its marketing of the dish to alert customers.

The UK joined the annual Interpol investigation into food fraud after the horsemeat scandal of 2014, which discovered numerous products for sale across the country where horsemeat had been substituted for beef.

East Lothian Council said its role under Operation OPSON was to investigate chicken and lamb traceability, as well as making sure peanuts were not being substituted for almonds in restaurants and takeaway.

They said: “Both of these practices not only offer potential for fraudulent activity with financial gain, where cheaper products are substituted and sold as a more expensive product, but also have significant potential to cause harm, i.e. allergic reaction to peanut protein.”

Environmental officers took 15 samples from six food businesses across East Lothian over the last year, with six lamb kormas checked for what was described as “meat speciation” and the presence of peanut protein.

Three samples of almond powder from the takeaways were also tested for peanut presence.

A council spokesperson said: “One dish had undeclared peanut discovered through laboratory analysis and the business has changed its marketing of the product and warned customers of peanut in dishes.”

Officers also investigated ready-made value meals from six major supermarkets in the county to check the meat and content matched the description.

They said all the samples taken were satisfactory.

Derek Oliver, the council’s service manager – protective services, said: “Food crime can range from a small localised incident to, as the horsemeat issue a few years ago demonstrated, a very complex network across the globalised food chain.

“Our actions safeguard the public in terms of safety and authenticity of product purchased, and in doing so we protect and promote legitimate food businesses.

“Through our routine inspections of food businesses, environmental health officers not only check hygiene but undertake assessments of food supplies and traceability as well as labelling and marketing of dishes and products.

“Officers advise and educate operators and increase awareness of the pitfalls buying from unreputable suppliers or being tempted by the ‘too good to be true’ offers, particularly in today’s financial climate.”

Mr Oliver said the recent results from the surveillance gave people reassurance about the quality of food available in East Lothian.

Anyone with concerns in relation to such issues can submit information via the My East Lothian app or email ehts@eastlothian.gov.uk. Food Standards Scotland also provides a Scottish Food Crime Hotline: call 0800 028 7926.