STORY
The Food Standards Agency has published the results of its sixth annual retail surveillance survey, which found most food tested was safe and authentic but identified problems with Dubai-style chocolate, goat meat and some slush-ice drinks. The targeted programme sampled 845 products from national supermarkets, independent retailers and online sellers between July and December 2025.
The agency said products were checked to ensure they were safe, accurately labelled and contained what they claimed to contain. Unsatisfactory results from the survey were shared with local authorities so that they could consider whether further action was required.
The survey found significant issues with Dubai-style chocolate, with only one of 45 samples passing every test and labelling requirement. The Food Standards Agency said the results led it to issue consumer warnings before Christmas 2025.
Labelling problems were found in 42 of the 45 Dubai-style chocolate samples. These included incorrect or missing use-by and best-before dates, allergens not being clearly highlighted, ingredients not being listed in the correct order and missing UK importer details.
The agency said it advised businesses to be vigilant and warned people with allergies not to eat Dubai-style chocolate. Rebecca Sudworth, the Food Standards Agency’s director of policy, said consumer safety was the agency’s biggest priority and that immediate action had been taken when the problems were identified.
The survey also found authenticity problems in goat meat products. Of 40 goat meat samples tested, 20 contained only sheep, while one contained a mixture of sheep and goat meat and another was found to be wholly deer.