Pheasants, partridges and deer shot by sport hunters with lead shot and ending up on supermarket shelves contains an illegal quantity of lead. It is illegal however because there is no legal limit for lead in game meat as there is for chicken, pork and beef for example. The solution is to stop shooting game totally and if that is unacceptable which it is then lead shot should be banned. Both Sainsbury’s and Waitrose sell game meat which is polluted in this way. Waitrose is committed to removing lead from game. Sainsbury’s supports the shooting industry’s plan to phase out lead within five years and is in discussion with suppliers. In the meantime, don’t eat game meat because it contains lead and lead is highly toxic to people and animals.
