Trading Standards : a waste of taxpayers' money ?

[Peripatetic Phil]

I took the trouble to report what was almost certainly an instance of passing off beef as lamb in a local BIR this weekend, and received the following boiler-plate reply.  Very discouraging, and I suspect I will not bother reporting any similar instances to them again.  I will, however, consider making an FoI request to ask how many such reports are received, how many are acted upon, and how many breaches of legislation are detected as a result.

** Phil.
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Thank you for your email.

Please note that Trading Standards do not investigate every individual enquiry or complaint.  We do however use the information received as part of our intelligence to assist in directing our operational activities.

If you require information on your rights as a consumer please contact Citizen Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06 or email using the following link www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice/consumer_service.htm

A wide range of advice for consumers is available online from the Citizen Advice website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Thank you for taking the time to report the matter to Kent Trading Standards.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Yup not a response to encourage one. I wonder if Environmental Health would be any more / less interested. We had a report in Scotland recently that relates to your post Phil. None of the establishments were in my area but I am very wary about ordering lamb now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21733514

[Peripatetic Phil]

Yup not a response to encourage one. I wonder if Environmental Health would be any more / less interested.

I fear not : beef does not pose a health risk if eaten, unless one is a Hindu and one's fellow Hindus learn of one's sin !

** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

The reply from TS seems a bit cryptic. Doesn't actually say they wont be looking into it.  I think they might.  There was a case earlier this year where pizza places were substituting turkey for ham:

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Derby-takeaways-facing-legal-action/story-15578405-detail/story.html#axzz2cUaxj9DD

Rob 

[chewytikka]

It seems a good enough cover letter and with their polite thanks.

They probably get a lot of crank emails    ;D