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Offline Daft Trini

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Horse Meat, Yum.....
« on: February 08, 2013, 05:00:28 PM »
http://news.sky.com/story/1049133/findus-beef-lasagne-meals-100-percent-horsemeat

Findus Beef Lasagne Meals 100% Horsemeat

Firms are ordered to test their beef products, as the Food Standards Agency warns criminal activity may be behind contaminations.5:26am UK, Friday 08 February 2013

The food industry must make sure that when shoppers buy something, it is exactly what it says on the label, says Andrew Rhodes, from the Food Standards Agency.


Tests on Findus beef lasagne have revealed that some of the ready meals were made entirely from horsemeat.

Findus analysed 18 of its beef lasagne products and found 11 meals contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said.

There is no evidence to suggest the horsemeat found in the Findus beef lasagne is a food safety risk, the FSA said.

However, the agency has ordered urgent tests on the lasagne for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone. Meat from animals treated with "bute" is not allowed to enter the food chain in Britain as it may pose a risk to human health.

All food companies have been told to test their beef products, with the FSA saying it was "highly likely" that criminal activity was to blame for the contamination.

Consumers who have purchased the ready meals - produced by French food supplier Comigel on behalf of Findus - have been advised by the FSA not to eat them and return them to the shop they were bought from.

Retail giant Tesco and discount chain Aldi have already withdrawn a range of ready meals produced by Comigel over fears they contained contaminated meat.

Findus UK has already started a full recall of its lasagne products. It withdrew its 320g, 360g and 500g lasagne meals from supermarket shelves as a precautionary measure earlier this week.

It came after Comigel alerted Findus and Aldi that their products "do not conform to specification".

It advised them to remove Findus beef lasagne and Aldi's Today's Special frozen beef lasagne and Today's Special frozen spaghetti bolognese.


Shoppers who have bought the product can get a full refund, says Findus
Findus UK apologised to customers "for any inconvenience caused" - and said anyone who bought the affected lasagne products could get a full refund.

A spokesman said: "We understand this is a very sensitive subject for consumers and we would like to reassure you we have reacted immediately. We do not believe this to be a food safety issue.

"We are confident that we have fully resolved this supply chain issue. Fully compliant beef lasagne will be in stores again soon."

Tesco also decided to withdraw its Everyday Value spaghetti bolognese, which is produced at the same Comigel site.

A Tesco spokesman said: "We are aware of the results of the Findus tests and we will of course assist Findus with their recall process.

"Tests on our frozen Everyday Value spaghetti bolognese product are ongoing under our new DNA testing programme. We will inform our customers of the results as soon as possible."

The FSA, Defra and the Department of Health are working with businesses and trade bodies to enforce food safety and assess whether there are significant levels of improperly described meat in a whole series of processed beef products in the UK, including supplies to schools and hospitals.

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said: "The presence of unauthorised ingredients cannot be tolerated ... the responsibility and for the safety and authenticity of food lies with those who produce it, and who sell or provide it to the final consumer."

Labour has accused ministers of being "asleep on the job" and has called for a police investigation into what it believes is fraud.

Shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh said she was "shocked and appalled" by the latest revelations.

She told Sky News: "The time has come for government ministers to pull their heads out of the sand and to take some swift action.

"We have had three weeks of damaging revelations about what is happening in the meat industry ... there is evidence that criminal gangs are involved in this, and frankly I cannot believe that the Government hasn't called in the police to investigate this in the UK.

"I don't see how we get to the bottom of it without getting in specialist teams and working out who is behind this fraud and why it is happening."

People must have confidence that the food they buy is properly labelled, legal and safe to eat, she added.

Anyone who has purchased a Findus beef lasagne can call the firm's UK customer care line on 0800 132584, those in the Republic of Ireland, 1800 800500, or email careline@findus.co.uk for a full refund.




British schools and hospitals could be at risk in new horse meat fears

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4784465/Findus-beef-lasagne-up-to-99-horse-tests-show.html

Alert ... food firm's pasta dish
By STEVE HAWKES, Business Editor
Last Updated: 08th February 2013
426
 
DOWNING Street today said that they cannot rule out that horse meat has been served to millions of school pupils and hospital patients.
It emerged last night that beef lasagne meals sold by fast food giants Findus were up to 99 per cent horse.

Chain ... Findus's beef lasagne was bought from
the same French meat supplier which provided
Tesco's withdrawn Value Spaghetti Bolognese.
Aldi has also pulled products from Comigel,
based in Metz, north east France
The food giant has now been ordered to test the dishes for a cancer-causing painkiller used by vets.
Today a spokesman for Findus said they received notification on SATURDAY that their products may contain horsemeat.
The company issued a full product recall on Monday before DNA testing on Wednesday confirmed horsemeat was in their products.
Findus today reiterated its apology over some of its beef lasagne products containing horse meat.
The company said it was “sorry that we have let people down”.
Ministers were rapped over the scandal and customers warned to take meals back to shops.
Downing Street described the latest incident as “distasteful” but stressed there was no evidence of a health risk and urged consumers to follow the FSA advice.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said the matter appeared to involve “acts of criminality” which were being investigated by the police, including officers from the UK.
She could not say, however, whether any tests had been done on school dinners, hospital and prison meals or other state-provided food.
Pressed repeatedly on the issue at a daily briefing for Westminster journalists, she said: “We have a regulatory regime in place and we have bodies that are there to enforce them and there is clearly a responsibility on retailers as well.
“The FSA are looking at this issue. There are routine tests carried out but it is really up to retailers to ensure that what they are selling to people who cook food for other people to consume is what it is on the label.”
She told reporters: “It looks like there have been acts of criminality, which is why the police are involved.”
Asked if that included UK officers, she said: “They are involved."
Findus last night admitted it had no idea how LONG the products had been on sale or how MANY families had bought them.
Tests on 18 sample meals found 11 were at least 60 per cent horse while one was virtually nothing but. The findings — which raised the spectre of human food being contaminated with vets’ drugs — are a major humiliation for the Government.
Labour shadow environment secretary Mary Creagh accused it of being “complacent” over the scandal’s scale and whether fraud was involved.
She said: “British ministers are asleep on the job. This is no longer just a food safety issue but possibly an international criminal trade.”
Red-faced officials at the Food Standards Agency have urged families who bought the ready meals to take them back to shops unopened.
And they ordered Findus to check whether the lasagne contained phenylbutazone — an animal painkiller linked to harmful effects, including potentially causing cancer, in humans.
Findus only admitted a problem with the meals after The Sun reported it had recalled them.
The dishes affected are all frozen Findus Beef Lasagne, 320g, 360g and 500g sizes.
A spokesman said: “Samples were taken from a variety of products. Some samples were as low as 5 per cent and one was 99 per cent.”
The products were bought from Comigel, a French meat supplier.
Tesco has withdrawn an Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese bought from the same source in Metz, north east France.


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4784465/Findus-beef-lasagne-up-to-99-horse-tests-show.html#ixzz2KLqEz1zS




Ah ketch some fish today, all yuh brits want some? Frico leh meh hear yuh, fish and chips....

« Last Edit: February 08, 2013, 05:02:16 PM by Daft Trini »

Offline Tallman

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Re: Horse Meat, Yum.....
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2013, 07:13:06 PM »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/abSdnwi5lV0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/abSdnwi5lV0</a>
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

 

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