Nosferatu187
07-02-2013, 19:10
Horsemeat discovered in burgers sold by four British supermarkets
Frozen beefburgers on sale in Aldi, Iceland, Lidl and Tesco found to contain traces of horsemeat, says food safety watchdog
The FSAI said there was no risk to health but supermarkets have agreed to remove all implicated beefburgers from sale. Photograph: Soren Hald/Getty Images
Four major supermarket chains operating in Britain – Aldi (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/aldi), Iceland, Lidl and Tesco (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/tesco) – are withdrawing a number of beef products after horse DNA was found in burgers sold by them in the UK and Ireland.
The Food Safety (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/food-safety) Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which made the discovery, said the burgers were produced by two meat processing plants in Ireland, Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods, and by the Dalepak Hambleton plant in the UK.
In nine of the 10 burger samples from the four retailers, and from the Irish chain Dunnes Stores, horse DNA was found at very low levels. However, in one sample, Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers, the level of positive DNA indicated horsemeat accounted for 29% relative to the beef content. Many of them were also found to contain pig DNA.
The FSAI said the retailers have agreed to remove all implicated batches from sale.
Prof Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, said that while the findings posed no risk to health, they did raise concerns. "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," he added.
"Consumers who have purchased any of the implicated products can return them to their retailer.
Frozen beefburgers on sale in Aldi, Iceland, Lidl and Tesco found to contain traces of horsemeat, says food safety watchdog
The FSAI said there was no risk to health but supermarkets have agreed to remove all implicated beefburgers from sale. Photograph: Soren Hald/Getty Images
Four major supermarket chains operating in Britain – Aldi (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/aldi), Iceland, Lidl and Tesco (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/tesco) – are withdrawing a number of beef products after horse DNA was found in burgers sold by them in the UK and Ireland.
The Food Safety (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/food-safety) Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which made the discovery, said the burgers were produced by two meat processing plants in Ireland, Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods, and by the Dalepak Hambleton plant in the UK.
In nine of the 10 burger samples from the four retailers, and from the Irish chain Dunnes Stores, horse DNA was found at very low levels. However, in one sample, Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burgers, the level of positive DNA indicated horsemeat accounted for 29% relative to the beef content. Many of them were also found to contain pig DNA.
The FSAI said the retailers have agreed to remove all implicated batches from sale.
Prof Alan Reilly, chief executive of the FSAI, said that while the findings posed no risk to health, they did raise concerns. "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," he added.
"Consumers who have purchased any of the implicated products can return them to their retailer.