Complete and Utter Zebu

One of the reasons we started writing Complete and Utter Zebu was a story, two years ago, about two chains of pubs, Hungry Horse and Weatherspoon’s, who were found to be selling “British steak” that turned out to be no such thing.

A third of samples sent for DNA testing from Hungry Horse and two-thirds from Weatherspoon’s were not only not British, they weren’t even from cows. They came from an animal called a zebu. Originating in India, these unattractive, jowled, hump-backed creatures are more resistant to heat and drought than cows, with which they are interbred in countries like Brazil. Despite being imported thousands of miles to Britain, meat from zebu breeds is significantly cheaper than British or Irish beef, mainly because our farmers have to meet higher standards of hygiene and animal welfare.

Two years ago, most zebu meat came from Brazil, despite a massive outbreak of foot and mouth there, the fact that cattle owners were razing the Amazonian Rainforest at an alarming rate, the apparent use of growth hormones and regular discoveries of slave labour compelled to work on the farms. Now, with tighter controls there, more of our zebu imports comes from countries such as Botswana and Namibia.

As zebu seemed symptomatic of the deception so often practised against the public, we adopted it for our book title. It seemed only right, therefore, to do a bit of DNA testing of our own. Without deep pockets, we could only afford to send off two samples. One, from a chain of dispiriting steak houses which serve tastleless food at exorbitant prices, did not – disappointingly – prove to be derived from zebu.

However, the sample of “beef steak” from a Weatherspoon pub did get a positive result. According to the report: “1 or more zebu specific alleles detected, indicates a non-European origin.” Weatherspoon’s no longer claim that their steak is British. They don’t even say that it comes from cows. In very small print on the menu, you can find the information that the steak is of “South American, UK and EU origin. At certain times of year, we source from Australia, Namibia and New Zealand.”

A month ago, they assured us that they had stopped using zebu two years ago. With the DNA evidence to hand, we contacted them again. This time, even though our single sample got a positive result, they admitted to using zebu steak, but “not often”.

“These are sourced primarily from Brazil and conform to Wetherspoon’s quality control. We are confident that the quality of zebu steak, when served ina Wetherspoon pub, is of the same high standard as all other steaks sourced from elsewhere (predominantly UK and Ireland).”

They pointed out that other pub operators did not put their meat’s country of origin on their menus. Although this is true, we wonder how many Wetherspoon customers imagine their “beef steaks” could come, not from a cow at all, but from a zebu cross-breed.

While the supermarkets are, finally, beginning to clean up their act when it comes to food labelling, the same cannot be said of the catering trade. Complete and Utter Zebu is full of such examples of food deception. With restaurants keen to keep costs low and the public concerned to keep their outgoings down, the result is that customers often have no idea what they are really eating.

It isn’t illegal, but it is Complete and Utter Zebu.