Posted on 03/21/2002 7:57:04 AM PST by dighton
THE prawn crackers endorsed by the celebrity chef Ken Hom and bearing his name promised "authentic and traditional ingredients". But, trading standards officers found, there was one glaring omission: prawns.
Mr Hom, an authority on Oriental cooking, recommends in his cookery books and television shows that authentic crackers should always contain prawn meat.
But when trading standards officers bought the Lee Kum Kee prawn crackers, made by Westmill Foods and marketed as "the choice of Ken Hom", they found no prawn at all.
Yesterday, the firm was fined £3,000 for breaching the Trade Descriptions Act and was ordered to pay £686 costs. Westmill's crackers had been found to contain tapioca, starch, salt and flavouring.
Michael Summers, presiding at Daventry magistrates' court, Northants, said: "We take particular note of the very prominent wording of the word 'prawn' on the packaging. This is a blatant misrepresentation for commercial gain."
Vic Smith, for Northamptonshire trading standards, said three samples of the celebrity-endorsed product were bought at a Waitrose branch in Daventry last June.
He said: "The crackers were sampled and sent to the public analyst and for one it appears there was no prawn in them at all. There were 14 other brands and all of these had some prawn at least."
Lisa Carson, defending, said it was clear from the ingredients that there was no prawn meat used and the term prawn cracker had been used as a generic one.
A spokesman for Westmill Foods said: "This is a technical labelling issue relating to our prawn-flavoured cracker product.
"As soon as we were made aware of the error in the labelling the produce was withdrawn from sale and will not be reintroduced."
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2002.
The Limeys; who are being overwhelmed by street crime, now increasing by up to 40% PER MONTH; are keeping their priorities right!
[The British gummint is proud to anounce that all "transfer of wealth" FRom those who earn it by creating it to those (incuding British "doctors" and other "health 'professionals'") too stupid to know they're being lied to and/or too abjectly corrupt to care -- and other "welfare payments" -- are on schedule!]
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