A quarter of takeaway pizzas fail to contain the ingredients listed, an investigation by Warwickshire County Council has found.
The council’s trading standards team found ‘cheese’ often turned out to a non-dairy fat oil, and ‘ham’ was being substituted for a processed meat product.
Out of the 40 pizzas tested from small and independent takeaways, 25% did not contain the ingredients listed on their menus.
Councillor John Horner, portfolio holder for community safety said:‘Consumers often pay a premium for take-away products and should be able to have confidence that the foods they buy and consume are correctly described.’
The council has issued several warning letters and one formal caution to the businesses visited.