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BRITAIN’S FOOD standards and safety watchdog has said tests on samples of a popular frozen beef lasagne have revealed that at least 60 per cent of the beef content was actually horse meat.
The tests on the Findus beef lasagne products came after the supplier, a French-based company called Comigel, raised concerns about the legitimacy of its supplies.
The Food Standards Agency confirmed that the tests had shown horse content of at least 60 per cent – though it has been reported that the content could be upward of 90 per cent or more.
The Guardian said that one sample had tested above 90 per cent, while Sky News said it understood that other samples had shown total, 100 per cent horse content.
British Tesco and Aldi stores had already withdrawn Comigel products from sale after the supplier’s warning.
While the agency said the products did not pose a threat to human health, they had ordered tests for the presence of a veterinary drug, phenylbutazone, which can cause rare cases of a type of anaemia in some humans.
As a result, animals which have been treated with the drug – more commonly known as ‘bute’ – are forbidden from entering the human food chain.
The latest developments are unrelated to the ongoing investigations into the origin of horse meat that was found in products produced in Ireland.
Several British chains have begun investigations into the authenticity of their own supplies, however, following tests by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland which revealed the presence of horse meat in products produced at several facilities in the Republic.
Some of the products affected had been available for sale in Britain.
Ireland’s agriculture minister Simon Coveney has called in Gardaí to investigate the source of the horse meat, which has been blamed on an imported product from Poland.
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To some extent I can understand why people find this all so amusing. There isn’t anything intrinsically wrong with horse meat, other than perhaps upsetting some people due to a cultural aversion to eating horses.
But this is not about horse meat, it’s about the fact that you’ve no clue what you are eating and that what it says on the back of any pack may or may not be a clue to what the food contains, but you’ve no way of knowing. If one ingredient that’s not supposed to be there can be there in such significant percentages, what else might be in there too?
Everyone is frantically looking for horse meat now, they never looked or cared before the last couple of weeks. It’s probably true that at least some of the food producers have themselves been conned, and hadn’t a clue that what they were using was not beef. So, what else are they not checking for? Can they even check for things they don’t know or suspect might be there?
Well said.. Especially when a lot of these animals are subjected to high doses of hormones or steroids when they are in their prime.. So all the meat that is processed and added and mixed up contains all these ‘extra’ bits which we humans consume.. Is this not a cause for why so many people have cancer or some other form of disease? It makes you think, doesn’t it?
people should go to jail for this. putting people’s health at risk for profit.
@Pádraig Horse meat isn’t bad for you at all, some people just see it as unethical. The same people think it okay to have them born and raised for the sole purpose of being rode by a small man in funny pants and to be gambed on. So if you think about it they are better off in burgers rather than being raised as a novelty.
They are testing the meat for brut, if it contains brut, s*** will hit the fan.
I know it’s not bad for you. I said they took a ‘risk’ My opinion is they didn’t know what was in the additives. I’m pretty sure they had no incoming inspection on the cheap additives. That’s risk taking. And should be punished.
Bute*
Well said Katie. People who eat this processed junk really deserve what they eat. I would say that the animal content is the least of our worries in these meals, the levels of salt, carcinogenic food colourings in the past anyway and sugar are killing us as a country.
Why when we are net exporters of delicious beef would anyone be willing to buy these horrible packaged foods? We have allowed the likes of big supermarkets to kill our high street and chase out our ethical fully traceable butchers and green grocers. Is it any wonder we are staring down the barrel of an obesity epidemic? As I said in a previous post, the younger then 35 generation will be the first in our evolution to have a shorter lifespan then the generation to proceed us. You are what you eat
They end up in the burgers after the novelty wears off,also ends up in dog food!!
@john While you are right that we have great beef, I don’t think it’s fair to be judgmental about what people choose to eat. Yes, these are cheap foods, but lots of people, especially at the moment, are short of cash and forced to try to stretch what they have further than it can go. For the most part people do their best, and sometimes cheap food is an essential part of making the numbers stack up.
No matter how much or how little you pay for your food, you are entitled, at a very minimum, to believe that the package contains what the package says it contains. Nobody buys bargain burgers thinking they contain fillet steak – but if it says that it’s made from 100% Irish beef, then that’s what it should be made from.
That is as true of cheap burgers as expensive luxury paté – because no matter how much money you spend on your food, some of it will be pre-prepared in some way and come in packages. I’m not naive enough to believe that paying more makes the package more truthful. Some of the people involved here are also involved in producing that prime Irish beef of which we are all so proud.
So was lance Armstrong.
Where’s the risk? There is an expensive horse butcher 3kms from my house in Munich.
Well said Katie.
If beef is supposed to be traceable then the fact that a completely different meat can be masquerading as it is extremely worrying..
If you cannot rely on this industry’s labelling, what else is lurking that we do not know about?
Is it just the meat industry? Can we guarantee nut free for people? Can we guarantee egg free for people? Can we guarantee that it’s all food? (If you see “cellulose” on the ingredients list this is actually wood pulp, used as a bulking agent and don’t get me started on additives) in the US they have to fight to have GM foods labelled as such for those who wish to avoid them, and Whole Foods were exposed to be selling GM as organic.
Maybe Mulder was right, trust no one!! ;)
There’s nothing wrong with horse meat if its traceable ..and it’s a big if . I know people who work in the horse industry and the amount of stuff that goes in to them would make u think again ..
People need to understand that that by making statements that it is safe to eat horse meat is totally misleading and watering down the seriousness of what has happened. Cattle are bread for us as traceable beef products that are supposed to be safefor consumption.Regular checks determine if ti has mad cow desease or similar .Horses are not bread for the food chain and are given drugs to get more out of them before their working life is over .The drugs given to them can cause cancer and are not ever to be allowed into the food chain. There are no government vets checking them to see if they are deasease free before they are added to other food products. The fact that we are importing socalled beef product from anywhere else on thhe planet is making a mockery of our world famous 100% Irish logos. Criminal justice is the only thing that might repair the damage. England will dish it out , but will we?
That’s an excellent point.
What the authorities are screening for analytically in beef, might not necessarily catch chemicals that would be consumed by horses.
Well said Dermot.
@dermot Agree with most of what you say.
However, in Ireland at least, there are vets and department inspectors in horse factories, and full anti-mortem and post-mortem inspections are carried out to ensure that the meat is fit for human consumption. That isn’t to claim that the situation is perfect. As you say, there is a residual drugs issue with horses that’s difficult to police, especially when there are plenty of people who are happy to forge documents and do their best to undermine the system.
However it doesn’t look likely that the meat in question here originated in Ireland and I’ve no idea whether this level if inspection is also the norm in other countries.
Apparently the also have found 75% birds eyes in fish fingers!!!
Oh no you didn’t
Just when I thought a Findus Lasagne couldn’t be any less appealing…..
I always wondered what horse tasted like. Now I know ;)
I don’t know why they just don’t sell it. It’s lovely!
This will probably get taken down but I can’t resist.
Penney’s have issued an alert regarding traces of Camel Toe in their Leggings.
100%?
So in theory, the burgers at the local chipper are in fact as good as any that you’ll get in any big places.
Haha
Findus some beef.
Bo11ocks….glad they didn’t, thanks for the laugh.:-)
The company logo should be Findus some beef in our lasagne! Bad pun, I admit.
Brings to mind the old saying. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
2 horses jumped into a beef pie, one says to the other……I wonder will they findus?
OK so it’s a French company selling an Italian dish with meat from Poland in England. This is a very European meal and a well travelled horse, or should I say- “Italian Stallion”.
Christ only knows what will be unearthed when they look into fig rolls.
Frozen lasagnes definitely don’t look like the one in the picture. Any ones I’ve seen look more like what a horse would leave behind after a feed of grass
I feel a dose of the trots coming on 10 to 1 odds I make the toilet.
Ffs…. Maybe they should test for dog /cat / donkey / rat too
I had Donegal catch cod for dinner this evening. Hope there was no horsemeat in it.
Well it probably wasn’t 100% Cod. So much white fish can pass as Cod, especially Pollack, and Cod is scarce and expensive.
Or caught near Donegal
Who’s getting saddled with the blame for this?
How processed does it have to be before you cant even tell what kind of meat is in it?
Time everyone supported the local butcher and fishmonger.
Can’t trust them either bro.
I just found a testicle in my crunchy nuts.
I found a clitoris in my scampi fries.
Used to work for shs sales and marketing who distribute findus products in ireland. From my experience with them if it was only horse they were putting in their product we be ok
Slanderous remark about a reputable company. Careful sonny.
In all fairness, that sounded like it came straight from the horse’s mouth. Seriously though, if what he says is true, then we’ve a lot more to worry about.
F@€k your Honda civic I ate horse last nite.
Neigh….
It’s never ending!
A never ending burger, … Now that would be something.
Genuine question; is the average horse not more expensive than the average cow? and are cows not far more common than horses? Where are these cheap horses coming from?
A Horse for slaughter is worth approx 1000 euro less than a bullock for slaughter at current prices. Hence the messing with cheap imported fillers. For a country that exports 92% of the beef it produces, the importation of beef, albeit pretend beef, and its subsequent use is an absolute disgrace.
Cheers mcgoo, what a scandal indeed..
We should have a Gallup poll on this.
Think I’m going to become a vegetarian now.
I have news on the egg plant for you…
Horse “meat”… Who knows what the hell is in that filler. Horse balls and arse and offal more like haha
Your not wrong girl.
Neigh way!!!!!! Didn’t know I loved horse meat so much!!!!
It’s really a matter of punctuation -the package should read ‘find us beef lasagne’
That looks nice i am starving i would eat a horse
A cow named horse.
Listened to a US podcast the other week where it was found that fried pig rectum was most likely being used as a substitute for fried calamari in restaurants. I lolled
it’d be nice I’d say. I’d give it a go.
Breaking news. Horse burgers in France have been found to contain 30% beef. Investigation under way
Now we all know where Sherga went, all the time we were blaming the RA, we had eaten him
Shameful I hope there is an investigation done and the people responsible get charged
100 %. May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
Now I know why it always gave me the trots…
I wonder if the food industry is “conditioning” us for the addition of horse to our staple ?
I had noticed the Crow population in these parts had lessened over the last while. Do crows migrate? Plenty of ‘atein on a crow I would imagine. All that protein flying about in the sky = “Opportunities ( Let’s make lot’s of Money) ”
Pet Shop Boys reference there for you younger folk – Google
I’m never eating again :)
Should be ok with a bowl of cornflakes in the morning. :)
It depends – let’s just say that some of the cheaper supermarket brands don’t tell us everything about what type of “soil” their “farmers” grow the corn/maize in.
Hint: it rhymes with Gladys Knight!
If you don’t mind testing out GM.. Most corn and soy is GM. It’s not approved in the EU for human consumption (it is permitted for animal feed), but given that there’s horse instead of beef what’s the chances?
It’s fine if you don’t mind, but there are a lot of people who don’t want to eat GM and a large allegedly organic food store in the US were caught selling GM produce as organic. It wouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibility that some GM ended up in your corn flakes..
Obvious there was very little beef in findus lasagna
Ehh obviously
Naahh it ain’t so
Theres plenty of horse meat burgers in baskin lane Gregory
Tell me about it Bertie !!!
I am bridling with indignation.
This is turning into a huge scam!
What other kind of sh*t is being pawned off and mislabled.
There will be more revelations, imho.
At least it was us who discovered it.
Don’t know if they have DNA’d for poo yet Paul!
I used to eat these in college and i turned out fine…..except sometimes my fetlocks do be at me!!
I never look a gift horse in the mouth. You don’t know what you might find.
Aaaaaaaaaaaand there off
After the Robot Apocalypse of 2020 we’ll be so excited to be force fed horse lasagne ready meals instead of grain pellets.
Scientists have confirmed that all Findus products are made of 100% 1987.
Findus Fish Fingers contain real fingers – says so on the pack – so no legal case there unfortunately.
this whole thing is making me giddy, up to today 25% was a high content
Thank god I only eat batter burgers !
“Tesco every little helps”
The spaghetti bolonase in Adli is delicious. The quality of the meat was great. I loved them and they were about €1.20 . Not for sale for the time being. Obviously horse meat tastes delicious. Delicious to me anyway.
Aldi not Adli
So happy I buy my meat from a butchers
No guarantees there either bro.
winner all right! winner all right!
This horse meat saga really has got legs it just keeping going ….
Had one on Monday I microwaved it for so long it could have been the next door neighbours cat. Tasted purrfect was in a hurry so hurdled it down.
Oh yeah if you thought Tesco’s burgers were good you should try Icelands Asian meatballs they’re the dogs bollocks.
Q: Hello horse, what were you all doing hiding in that frozen food factory?
A: We thought you’d never Findus..
I used to eat this when in college and i turned out fine….neigh
Suggest re-branding to Equus !
Probably more nourishing than …..,,,’s beef burgers 100% beef brains bones and balls!
and I thought it couldn’t get worse than 70% horse meat… boy was I wrong.
Why are people so worried. If it tastes ok then who cares. Horse meat is eaten all over the world but we panic when we find traces of it.
Wise up. Enda Kenny pretty much sold our country and we’re worried about a little horse meat
Breaking News: Findus Frozen Lasagne are in talks to sponsor the Aintree Grand National. Company insiders haven’t been this excited about a new advertising campaign since their Find Shergar promotional campaign in the eighties.
Had one on Monday I microwaved it for so long it could have been the next door neighbours cat. Tasted purrfect was in a hurry so hurdled it down.
Oh yeah if you thought Tesco’s burgers were good you should try Icelands Asian meatballs they’re the dogs bollocks.
In the midlands the addicts are so hardcore that the inject horse instead of smoking it.
Findus Keepers : The job title of someone that looks after lost horses.
I always thought la Sange was a French dish made from monkeys..
That findus lasagne was lovely can you still get it in dunnes?
Probably not, but there might be some shady characters in Fairyhouse, or Ascot that might be able to help you.
You wonder were all those horses on the M/N1 end up EH ?
Omg gross! I love lasagna, but my brand doesn’t ave horse in it
Doesn’t it ? …
No I don’t live in Europe
Ok, but they have horses in other places too. USA, Asia, etc, mind you, if you live in Asia, you’ve probably eaten a lot weirder than horse, whether you know it or not…
Haha. I live in Chicago, so it’s probably mafia hit men in my lasagna ;)
Chicago? its steroids and antibiotics in ur lasagna so.
Or poor aul Jimmy Hoffa.
Noo, just Al and Bugsy
It’s all coming out in the dung!
Turning in to a vegatarian yuck!!
I’m full. No room for desert now.
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