Findus Beef Lasagne Products Found With Horse Meat
As part of its ongoing investigation into mislabelled meat, the Food Standards Agency in the UK has confirmed that the meat content of beef lasagne products recalled by Findus has tested positive for more than 60% horse meat. Findus withdrew the beef lasagne products after its French supplier, Comigel, raised concerns about the type of meat used in the lasagne.
While there is no evidence to suggest that this is a food safety risk, the FSA has ordered Findus to test the lasagne for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or ‘bute’. Animals treated with phenylbutazone are not allowed to enter the food chain as it may pose a risk to human health.
The Findus beef lasagne was distributed to the main UK supermarkets and smaller convenience stores. Findus has already begun a full recall of these products.
The Food Standards Agency is now demanding a more comprehensive meat testing programme from food businesses.
Catherine Brown, chief executive of the FSA, says: “Following our investigations into Findus products, the FSA is now requiring a more robust response from the food industry in order to demonstrate that the food it sells and serves is what it says it is on the label. We are demanding that food businesses conduct authenticity tests on all beef products, such as beef burgers, meatballs and lasagne, and provide the results to the FSA. The tests will be for the presence of significant levels of horse meat.”
According to the FSA, the evidence it has about the two cases, of the significant amount of horse meat in burgers and lasagne, points to either gross negligence or deliberate contamination in the food chain. Consequently the FSA has now involved the police, both in the UK and in Europe.
The FSA believes that these two particular cases – the frozen burgers from Tesco and the lasagne from Findus – are linked to suppliers in Ireland and France respectively. The FSA is working closely with the authorities in these countries to get to the root of the problem.
