A MUSLIM group in Lancashire is to call on a government watchdog to crack down on chicken which could make people "violate" their religion unwittingly.

The Lancashire Council of Mosques will tell the Food Standards Agency (FSA) it is "disturbed and concerned" by the findings of a report, published last week, which found pork DNA in some chicken labelled halal.

Halal food is a fundamental part of Muslims' diets and Islamic law expressly forbids the eating of pork.

The FSA tested 25 samples of chicken from wholesalers around the country, mainly processed in the Netherlands and destined for the catering industry. Eleven samples, labelled halal, were found to contain pork protein.

Lancashire Council of Mosques chairman Ibrahim Masters said: "We'll be writing to the FSA to tell them they need to get a handle on this problem.

"To find pork injected into poultry is appalling. A Muslim could be violating his own beliefs and not know."

Pork, beef proteins and water are sometimes added to chicken. This is legal, provided the ingredients and percentage of meat content are clearly stated on the label. But 60 per cent of the samples tested claimed to have between five and 25 per cent more meat than was found and almost three quarters was labelled 'breast' or 'fillet', which should only be used to describe chicken with no added ingredients.

Director of enforcement David Statham said: "In some cases consumers are not getting what they pay for and the FSA is determined to stamp this out.

"What's even more unacceptable is the disregard as to how offensive this is to Muslim communities who may be eating food forbidden by their beliefs."