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The Food Standards Agency has launched a probe over allegations that traces of meat were found in vegetarian and vegan ready meals from major supermarket chains.

Laboratory tests reportedly found traces of pork in Sainsbury's​ "meat free" meatballs and traces of turkey in a vegan macaroni ready meal from Tesco​ , a national newspaper investigation revealed.

An FSA spokeswoman said: "Our priority is to ensure consumers can be confident that the food they eat is safe and is what it says it is.

"We are investigating the circumstances surrounding these alleged incidents and any resulting action will depend upon the evidence found."

The Sainsbury's item has been approved by the Vegetarian Society, which means it has been independently checked.

Both supermarkets said their own tests have not found any meat traces.

The best vegetarian dishes in London under £10 9 show all The best vegetarian dishes in London under £10 1/9 Falafel kebab at Le Bab How much? £9 The menu at Le Bab in Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court consists mainly of chicken and lamb options but their falafel kebab is a real gem. Hummus, garlic toum, chilli sauce, pickled chard leaves and mesclun leaves come together to form a sophisticated take on the junk food favourite, which is remarkable value for money at £9. Everything served at Le Bab is made from scratch too and their commitment to fresh produce certainly pays off. 2/9 Miso Aubergine at Chicama How much? £9 Chicama in Chelsea offer an assured take on contemporary Peruvian cuisine. While the restaurants focuses mainly on seafood the Miso Aubergine dish is a real standout. The silky Aubergine is doused in moreish miso sauce and topped with sweet pecans with all the elements coming together beautifully. It’s part of a sharing menu but the dish is a delicious and affordable treat for veggie diners. 3/9 Black Daal at Dishoom How much? £6.20 Dishoom’s menu is blessed with plenty of great veggie-friendly options, including the egg naan roll and the excellent Vegan Bombay breakfast. However, the signature Black Daal is the pick of the bunch. The dish is cooked for 24 hours to ensure a rich flavour and a creamy texture and it’s perfectly accompanied by a garlic naan. For £6.20 it’s certainly one of the chain's best options. 4/9 Moong daal dosa at Horn Ok Please How much? £6 Veggies might be spoiled for choice in Borough Market and the Southbank Centre markets but the Indian street food from Horn Ok Please is right up there with the best in the city. Their signature Moong daal dosa consists of a savoury lentil pancake, which is stuffed with spicy potatoes, served with moreish Channa Chaat. Pick one up for just £6. 5/9 Portobello ‘Dig It’ Mushroom Burger at Patty & Bun How much? £8.50 London has massively upped its veggie burger game over recent times and there are plenty of places serving up great meat-free options. Patty & Bun’s veggie ‘Dig It’ Mushroom burger — served with crunchy coleslaw, garlic parsley butter and tarragon mayo — is one of the best in the city and more than holds its own against the other options on the menu. 6/9 Jackfruit carnitas tacos at The Spread Eagle How much? three for £10 The Spread Eagle has become one of London’s leading vegan hangouts since opening in January. The carnitas tacos served out of the pub’s Club Mexicana restaurant are made with hearty jackfruit and the spicy dressing really pack a punch. Three are available for £10 and they’re great sharing options. Wash them all down with a vegan tequila sour (which uses chickpea water instead of egg whites) or a vegan craft beer. 7/9 Spinach croquetas at Rambla How much? £5 Victor Garvey’s Rambla has gained a reputation for serving some of the best tapas in the city since opening in 2017. The Catalan-inspired restaurant opened in Soho last year to rave reviews and while the menu is predominantly home to meat dishes veggies are well catered for too. The deep-fried and indulgent spinach croquetas served with roasted pine nut alioli are a real treat, either as a mouth-watering starter or sharing plate. Adrian Lourie 8/9 Fried 'chicken' at Temple of Seitan How much? £5 Vegan fast food fans have been hitting up Hackney’s Temple of Seitan for years now and it’s one of the most popular sports for meat-free diners in east London. Its delicious chicken substitute is made from the wheat gluten seitan, which captures the taste and the stringy texture of fried chicken. The Temple Burger (£7), the wings (£5) and the twist wrap (£5) are all must-tries. Felix Dickinson 9/9 Vegan Döner at What the Pitta How much? £7.95 Vegans used to be incredibly limited for choice when it came to junk food options in London. These days though plenty of places offer indulgent meat and dairy-free dishes — not least the brilliant What the Pitta serving out of Croydon and Shoreditch Boxparks. The vegan doner is a real highlight and for £7.95 diners get freshly made bread, spiced soya chunks, soya tzatziki, homemade hummus, chilli sauce and salad. 1/9 Falafel kebab at Le Bab How much? £9 The menu at Le Bab in Carnaby Street’s Kingly Court consists mainly of chicken and lamb options but their falafel kebab is a real gem. Hummus, garlic toum, chilli sauce, pickled chard leaves and mesclun leaves come together to form a sophisticated take on the junk food favourite, which is remarkable value for money at £9. Everything served at Le Bab is made from scratch too and their commitment to fresh produce certainly pays off. 2/9 Miso Aubergine at Chicama How much? £9 Chicama in Chelsea offer an assured take on contemporary Peruvian cuisine. While the restaurants focuses mainly on seafood the Miso Aubergine dish is a real standout. The silky Aubergine is doused in moreish miso sauce and topped with sweet pecans with all the elements coming together beautifully. It’s part of a sharing menu but the dish is a delicious and affordable treat for veggie diners. 3/9 Black Daal at Dishoom How much? £6.20 Dishoom’s menu is blessed with plenty of great veggie-friendly options, including the egg naan roll and the excellent Vegan Bombay breakfast. However, the signature Black Daal is the pick of the bunch. The dish is cooked for 24 hours to ensure a rich flavour and a creamy texture and it’s perfectly accompanied by a garlic naan. For £6.20 it’s certainly one of the chain's best options. 4/9 Moong daal dosa at Horn Ok Please How much? £6 Veggies might be spoiled for choice in Borough Market and the Southbank Centre markets but the Indian street food from Horn Ok Please is right up there with the best in the city. Their signature Moong daal dosa consists of a savoury lentil pancake, which is stuffed with spicy potatoes, served with moreish Channa Chaat. Pick one up for just £6. 5/9 Portobello ‘Dig It’ Mushroom Burger at Patty & Bun How much? £8.50 London has massively upped its veggie burger game over recent times and there are plenty of places serving up great meat-free options. Patty & Bun’s veggie ‘Dig It’ Mushroom burger — served with crunchy coleslaw, garlic parsley butter and tarragon mayo — is one of the best in the city and more than holds its own against the other options on the menu. 6/9 Jackfruit carnitas tacos at The Spread Eagle How much? three for £10 The Spread Eagle has become one of London’s leading vegan hangouts since opening in January. The carnitas tacos served out of the pub’s Club Mexicana restaurant are made with hearty jackfruit and the spicy dressing really pack a punch. Three are available for £10 and they’re great sharing options. Wash them all down with a vegan tequila sour (which uses chickpea water instead of egg whites) or a vegan craft beer. 7/9 Spinach croquetas at Rambla How much? £5 Victor Garvey’s Rambla has gained a reputation for serving some of the best tapas in the city since opening in 2017. The Catalan-inspired restaurant opened in Soho last year to rave reviews and while the menu is predominantly home to meat dishes veggies are well catered for too. The deep-fried and indulgent spinach croquetas served with roasted pine nut alioli are a real treat, either as a mouth-watering starter or sharing plate. Adrian Lourie 8/9 Fried 'chicken' at Temple of Seitan How much? £5 Vegan fast food fans have been hitting up Hackney’s Temple of Seitan for years now and it’s one of the most popular sports for meat-free diners in east London. Its delicious chicken substitute is made from the wheat gluten seitan, which captures the taste and the stringy texture of fried chicken. The Temple Burger (£7), the wings (£5) and the twist wrap (£5) are all must-tries. Felix Dickinson 9/9 Vegan Döner at What the Pitta How much? £7.95 Vegans used to be incredibly limited for choice when it came to junk food options in London. These days though plenty of places offer indulgent meat and dairy-free dishes — not least the brilliant What the Pitta serving out of Croydon and Shoreditch Boxparks. The vegan doner is a real highlight and for £7.95 diners get freshly made bread, spiced soya chunks, soya tzatziki, homemade hummus, chilli sauce and salad.

The Daily Telegraph said it sent a number of samples to a German Government accredited food testing laboratory.

The results reportedly showed traces of pork DNA in Sainsbury's own brand Meat Free Meatballs 380g, which retail at £1.50.

It also allegedly found traces of turkey DNA in Tesco's Wicked Kitchen BBQ Butternut Mac 385g ready meal, which is labelled as being vegan and retails at £4.

The presence of whole animal DNA indicates that a dish contains meat or animal skin, the laboratory told the newspaper.

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: "These products are produced at a meat-free factory.

"Sainsbury's and the Vegetarian Society also carry out regular checks and no issues have been found.

"We are concerned by these findings however and are carrying out a comprehensive investigation alongside our supplier."

A Tesco spokesman said: "We take the quality and integrity of our products extremely seriously and understand that our vegan and vegetarian products should be exactly that.

"Our initial DNA tests have found no traces of animal DNA in the BBQ Butternut Mac product available in stores today.

"We would urge the Telegraph to share full details of their testing, including the lab used as we continue to investigate."