London-based salmon smoker Lance Forman is locked in a bitter spat over the authenticity of products sold by local rival Secret Smokehouse, The Guardian reports.
Forman, who runs the more than a century old H Forman & Son business, disputes the processes of Secret Smokehouse founded by Max Bergius.
Both firms, which share a roll call of prestigious clients, have achieved coveted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the "London Cured" smoked salmon method, which uses only a combination of rock salt and oak smoke.
Bergius accuses Forman, a former Brexit party member of the European parliament, of repeatedly calling the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to carry out inspections at Secret Smokehouse.
Bergius is reportedly working with Defra on an amendment to the specification, pointing out that salmon smokers should be working together, particularly in light of the tough times suffered by the foodservice industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
