Horse meat Burger Blues..

 



 

Cleared Shelves 

                                            

So I have recently read in the news of how some horse meat/horse and pig DNA has been discovered in burgers,mince and salami sold in stores around the UK and Ireland.

These revelations come from analysis by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and food safety officials in Britain confirmed they were investigating.
Stores like Tesco's,Lidl,Aldi and Dunnes stores are said to have been affected and some othershave reportedly pulled off their range of frozen burgers totally off the shelves

 Have a look at Some Reports below

Metro UK:

Inquiry begins after horse meat discovered in Tesco ‘value’ beefburgers

"An inquiry is underway after horse meat was found in burgers sold in some of Britain’s biggest supermarkets.

Traces of the meat were detected in beef products sold by Tesco and Iceland in Britain and Ireland.

It was also found in items sold in Irish branches of budget chains Lidl and Aldi.

In most cases the horse DNA was found in low levels but in one Tesco burger it accounted for almost a third of the meat content.

The revelations come from analysis by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and food safety officials in Britain confirmed they were investigating.

Beefburgers which tested positive for horse DNA were produced by Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods in Ireland and one UK plant, Dalepak Hambleton in Yorkshire.

Tesco immediately withdrew from sale all products from the supplier in question after being informed of the FSAI’s findings and apologised for any distress caused to customers.

Aldi, Lidl and Iceland also withdrew all products from the areas implicated in the study. Silvercrest said it was pulling products from sale and replacing them with new lines.

The FSAI analysed 27 beefburger products and found ten tested positive for horse DNA, while 85 per cent tested positive for pig DNA.

Of 31 beef meal products – such as cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne – 21 were found to contain pig DNA, while all tested negative for horse meat.

There was no sign of horse DNA in 19 salami products.

Horse meat was found in Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers (29.1 per cent) and Tesco Beef Quarter Pounders (0.1 per cent).

It was also found in Oakhurst Beef Burgers in Aldi (0.3 per cent), Moor-dale Quarter Pounders in Lidl (0.1 per cent) and two varieties of Iceland Quarter Pounders (0.1 per cent).

FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly said there was no health risk and shoppers should not be worried.

But he said there was no reasonable explanation for the presence of horse meat.

‘In Ireland, it is not in our culture to eat horse meat and we do not expect to find it in a burger,’ he said.

Britain’s FSA(Food safety Authourity said it was aware of the survey results and was working with its Irish counterparts to investigate. Sainsbury’s said it was ‘not implicated"

Yahoo news: 

Horsemeat In Burgers: Tesco Removes Product

"Tesco, along with a number of other supermarkets, has removed certain brands of frozen beefburgers from its shelves in the UK and Ireland after they were found to contain horsemeat.

A study examining the authenticity of a number of beefburger, beef meal and salami products available from retail outlets in Ireland found horsemeat accounted for approximately 29% of the content in one sample of Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers.

Tests on beef products sold in Lidl, Aldi, Iceland and Dunnes Stores uncovered low levels of horse DNA.

Authorities have said there is no threat to public health, but the issue is one of consumer confidence and shoppers being able to trust that what they are eating is what was stated on the label.

Tim Smith, group technical director at Tesco, said: "We immediately withdrew from sale all products from the supplier in question.

"We are working with the authorities in Ireland and the UK, and with the supplier concerned, to urgently understand how this has happened and how to ensure it does not happen again.

"We will not take any products from this site until the conclusion and satisfactory resolution of an investigation.

"We understand that many of our customers will be concerned by this news, and we apologise sincerely for any distress."

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) tested for the presence of horse and pig DNA.

A total of 27 beefburger products were analysed, with 10 (37%) testing positive for horse DNA and 23 (85%) testing positive for pig DNA.

Some 31 beef meal products including cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne were also analysed. Twenty-one were found to have pig DNA, while all were negative for horse DNA.

All 19 salami products analysed tested negative for horse DNA, but traces were detected in batches of raw ingredients including some imported from The Netherlands and Spain.

The beefburger products which tested positive for horse DNA were produced by two processing plants in Ireland, Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods, and one in the UK, Dalepak Hambleton.

They were on sale in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland. In nine of the 10 beefburger samples from these retailers, horse DNA was found at low levels.

The tests found horse DNA in the following products: Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers 29.1%, Tesco Beef Quarter Pounders 0.1%, Oakhurst Beef Burgers in Aldi 0.3%, Moordale Quarter Pounders in Lidl 0.1%, Flamehouse Chargrilled Quarter Pounders in Dunnes Stores 0.1%, and two varieties of Iceland Quarter Pounders 0.1%.

Even lower levels were recorded in Moordale Beef Burgers in Lidl and St Bernard Beef Burgers in Dunnes Stores.

Sky's Health and Science Correspondent Thomas Moore said: "These days, meat is traded around Europe. There is a suggestion that this horse meat didn't actually come from Britain or Ireland and it may well have been imported from Spain or Holland.

"In some parts of the continent, horse meat is eaten and is perfectly normal."

The FSAI said it was working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as well as the processing plants and retailers involved.

It said the retailers had pledged to remove all implicated batches from their shelves immediately. In addition, Silvercrest Foods was withdrawing all products from sale and replacing them with new ones.

Aldi said it was conducting its own investigation. "We have sought information from one supplier, Silvercrest, which is dealing directly with the FSAI on the issue that has been raised," it said.

Lidl said it had taken the decision to remove all implicated products from sale pending a full investigation.

"A refund will be provided to customers who wish to return affected products," a spokesman said.

Professor Alan Reilly, the chief executive of the FSAI, said although consumers need not worry, the findings did raise a number of concerns.

He said: "The products we have identified as containing horse DNA and/or pig DNA do not pose any food safety risk and consumers should not be worried. Consumers who have purchased any of the implicated products can return them to their retailer.

"Whilst there is a plausible explanation for the presence of pig DNA in these products due to the fact that meat from different animals is processed in the same meat plants, there is no clear explanation at this time for the presence of horse DNA in products emanating from meat plants that do not use horse meat in their production process.

"In Ireland, it is not in our culture to eat horse meat, and therefore we do not expect to find it in a burger. Likewise, for some religious groups or people who abstain from eating pig meat, the presence of traces of pig DNA is unacceptable."

Dailymail UK:

Scientific tests on some beef products found low levels of horse DNA

But one offering from Tesco's Value range had 29% horse meat

Company has lost £300m off its market value today

Equine DNA also found in Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi beef products

Asda and Co-op remove frozen products as 'precaution'

Today, fast food giant Burger King revealed it uses same supplier

However, Burger King said its meat has not been affected

Irish scientists discovered contaminated burgers in late November

But carried out three rounds of tests to ensure data was correct

UK Food Standards Agency launching investigation into the findings

PM calls scandal 'a completely unacceptable state of affairs'

Suppliers in Holland and Spain blamed for contaminated ingredients

Three more supermarkets have started clearing shelves of frozen beefburgers after it emerged they use the same supplier that sold Tesco products containing up to 29 per cent horse meat.

Asda, the Co-op and Sainsbury's were not among the four retailers found to be selling contaminated food but say they have pulled some of their ranges as a 'precautionary measure'.

It came as it was revealed horse-tainted beefburgers could have been on the shelves for almost two months after it was first discovered they contained equine meat.

Government scientists in Ireland, where many were produced, found horse DNA in late November, but took until January 11 to step in as they wanted to have three positive rounds of tests. 

Most had only small traces but Tesco has cleared its shelves this morning after 29 per cent of the 'beef' content of one of its products was actually horse meat.

More than £300million has been wiped from the supermarket giant's share value as suppliers in the Netherlands and Spain are being blamed for the contaminated ingredients.

Tesco says it does not know exactly how many of its burgers were contaminated or how many it has withdrawn from sale.

Both Asda and Co-op, despite not being implicated, have taken action to withdraw their frozen burgers from the manufacturer at the centre of the scandal, Silvercrest. Asda has pulled products from the shelves and the Co-op two.

A spokesman for Asda said: 'As soon as we were made aware of the issue we launched a full traceability audit with our supplier. This is still underway.  In the meantime as a precaution we have withdrawn a number of frozen burger products from sale'.

The Co-op added: 'We can confirm that we take two lines of frozen own-brand beefburgers from Silvercrest Foods. Neither of these products have been implicated in this report. However, we are taking this matter very seriously, and, purely as a precaution, we are removing them from sale while tests are being conducted to ensure they have been produced to our strict specifications.'

Sainsbury's has removed 13 own-brand lines from the shelves as a 'precautionary measure'.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: 'Although Sainsbury’s products have not been implicated, as our customers would expect we treat matters like this extremely seriously. 

'All our burgers are made from 100 per cent British beef but as a precautionary measure we are withdrawing those sourced from Dalepak.'

Fast food giant Burger King, which uses ABP/Silvercrest, says it has been told by the supplier none of its products have been affected by the contamination.

However, it has also launched a 'precautionary' investigation today.

A Burger King Worldwide spokesman said: 'Food safety at Burger King restaurants is a top priority. Burger King Worldwide has a comprehensive food safety programme that uses multiple and overlapping controls to oversee its suppliers.

'Burger King Worldwide is aware of the contaminated beef found in tests conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. 

'BKW has been given absolute assurance by its supplier ABP/Silvercrest that no Burger King products are affected by the issue.

'As a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our guests, the company has taken swift action to further investigate and ensure that no affected product has entered the Burger King system."

Horsemeat seriously maybe its is time we all got our meat products from our local butchers..thats if youve got one in your area(as i dont think every area has a local butcher)..Just my opinion..Please kindly use the comment button, would love to hear from you and your thoughts on all these emerging details.