Horse meat: would you eat it?
After horse meat and DNA are found in supermarket burgers, we want to know if you would ever knowingly eat it.
Horse DNA and meat has been found in some frozen beefburgers being sold in UK supermarkets, following analysis by the Irish Food Safety Authority (FSAI).
Both meat and DNA were found in Tesco Everyday Value burgers and traces of DNA found in Iceland's quarter pound burgers.
The burgers had come from two processing plants in Ireland – Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods – and the Dalepak Hambleton plant in Yorkshire. Both have withdrawn all burgers from those suppliers from sale.
The FSAI analysed 27 supermarket burger products, with 10 found to contain small traces of horse DNA and 23 containing pig DNA.
One sample of the Tesco burgers contained 29% horse meat content relative to the beef content.
Additionally, 31 beef meal products sold in several supermarkets in the UK and Ireland such as cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne were tested with 21 found to be positive for pig DNA.
Tesco's response
In a statement, Tesco said: “The safety and quality of our food is of the highest importance to Tesco. We will not tolerate any compromise in the quality of the food we sell. The presence of illegal meat in our products is extremely serious. Our customers have the right to expect that the food they buy is produced to the highest standards.”
The FSAI have said that there is no risk to public health. However, the presence of pig meat is likely to be of huge concern to practising Jews and Muslims, who are forbidden from eating it by their cultures.
Silvercrest Foods and Dalepak say they have launched an investigation into two European suppliers.
Horse for a course?
Horse meat is widely on sale and eaten in other Northern European countries. It was eaten in Britain up until the 1930s.
Back in 2007, Gordon Ramsay called on the British public to eat horse meat. His comments attracted widespread criticism.
But would you eat horse meat? Have you tried it in other countries? Vote in our poll below and let us know your thoughts in the Comments box.
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