The chicken that's only 11% meat

Chicken in pre-packed sandwiches contains as little as 11 per cent meat, it was revealed today.

Trading standards officers found the traditional favourite bulked out with pea starch, stabilisers and water. Their findings have prompted calls for the multi- million- pound sandwich industry to stop misleading customers.

The Food Standards Agency says it will meet food industry chiefs to discuss clearer labelling of processed-meat sandwiches which, according to a recent consumer survey, are often overpriced, rubbery or stale.

Britons spend more than £3billion a year on pre-packed sandwiches from corner shops, supermarkets and even upmarket café³®

Those with the three most popular fillings - cheese, chicken and tuna - were tested for the Consumers Association magazine Which?

Its experts found many contained limp lettuce, shrivelled cucumber and tired salad. Others had poor-quality meat fillings.

Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Costa Coffee got only one mark out of 10 for their chicken sandwiches. Even Waitrose, which got the top mark, scored only seven.

Those from Boots and Starbucks were also disappointing, receiving less than five out of 10. A roast chicken sandwich from Costa was singled out for its "oily mayonnaise and plastic-tasting chicken".

The findings about actual meat content come from trading standards officers in Shropshire.