A new study by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has found no traces of horse DNA in beef products tested.

However, a separate survey by the FSAI has raised concerns about undeclared meat in lamb dishes in takeaway restaurants. Some of the lamb kebabs checked did not contain any lamb at all.

The FSAI said as part of an ongoing EU-wide programme on food fraud, its study of beef products found no traces of horse DNA in the 52 beef products analysed, which included burgers, meat-based meals, corned beef, meat balls and pasta dishes.

This demonstrated compliance by the industry, the Authority said. The survey follows last year's controversy over the adulterastion of beef products with undeclared horse meat.

However the FSAI said a separate study it carried out examining lamb kebabs and lamb dishes in takeaway restaurants raised concerns about the presence of undeclared meat, such as chicken and beef.

This survey, carried out with the HSE last month, revealed the presence of meats other than lamb in seven of the twenty foods sampled from independent takeaway restaurants in Dublin city, which were described on the menus/menu boards as containing lamb.

Six of the seven foods with undeclared meat were described on the menus/menu boards as lamb kebabs, but most of these did not contain any lamb at all or only contained lamb in very small quantities. All six lamb kebabs with undeclared meat contained over 60% chicken and 5%-30% beef.

Only three of these six lamb kebabs were found to contain lamb; however, the levels were as low as 1%-5%.

One of the ten lamb dishes sampled - minced meat for lamb skewers - with undeclared meat that was described on the menu/menu board as lamb, was found to contain over 60% beef and over 30% lamb.

Prof Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI, stated that while this was not a food safety issue, the fact that undeclared meats have been identified raises concerns about misleading consumers and not giving them the correct information about the food they are eating.

"When you order a lamb kebab you expect to get a lamb kebab and not a beef and chicken kebab. Incorrectly listing meat products on a menu or menu board, whether inadvertently or by design, is an unacceptable infringement of the labelling legislation. The FSAI is committed to protecting consumers' interests and ensuring the integrity of the Irish food supply chain."

Prof Reilly stated that last year's incident surrounding the adulteration of beef demonstrated how vital consumer trust and confidence is for food businesses and for Ireland's wider food industry.

He states that a key lesson for food businesses is that they must have robust supplier controls in place at all times to ensure that they know who is supplying them and that all products and all ingredients are authentic.

The FSAI's advice line is 1890 33 66 77 - 9.00am-5.00pm, Monday to Friday.