Now Findus have been at it

[Colwyn]

I went to a horse sale in Hay-on-Wye. After the horses were the ponies and some were getting pretty fancy prices. But when it came to the last few they were being offered for 50p - and not being taken.

[Jacqui Harvey]

The reason in our family don't want to eat horse meat.. Gemma & Hugo on our local beach.

[stoop]

We ship wild ponies to France from this country in vast quantities.

Criminal charges should be brought upon any of the suppliers who have committed fraud by selling horse meat as beef. It's all about profit at the end of the day and they should suffer the consequences in court.

I'd have no qualms about eating horse meat as long as I knew it was from a reputable supplier.

[stoop]

Some interesting figures here. Italy and Oz surprise me:


Horse meat production levels
as of 2009[44]
Country   Tons per year
Mexico   78,000
Argentina   57,000
Kazakhstan   55,000
Mongolia   38,000
Kyrgyzstan   25,000
Australia   24,000
Brazil   21,000
Canada   18,000
Poland   18,000
Italy   16,000*
Romania   14,000
Chile   10,000
France   7,500
Uruguay   8,000
Senegal   9,500
Colombia   6,000
Spain   5,000*

* Including donkeys

[SuzzPuss]

These companies don't often make the food themselves.  I know a guy who works for the company that supplies Marks & Spenser for example.  I read an article online last night that said that some of Findus' meals were made by a French company and the lasagne is one of those meals.  Apparently they make other ready meals for other markets that involve horse meat so it may have been an innocent mistake on their part I suppose but it is worrying that it may not have come from a reputable source. 

I have eaten horse meat in France but actually I didn't find it particularly interesting.  Stronger than beef, yes, but not nicer.  I totally sympathise, Jacqui, with your not wanting to eat it.  I have dogs and a cat and I wouldn't want to eat them.  They're sitting at my feet looking relieved.   

[Scunner]

Yes I used to work in hygiene coatings for the food industry and am aware of how it works - the strange thing is that when manufacturing for the likes of M&S the standard would go right up. For example McVities used to make M&S's pizzas and their buyer told me that the bar height went way up for them compared with their own products. So the point is - why wouldn't (in this case) McVities AND M&S be testing things like meat?

The above is what I am aware of. What I was entirely unaware of was that there are thousands of horses sold every week in the UK and Ireland. I thought there might be one or two sold to loving homes. I didn't even think there were thousands and thousands of horses in the UK alive, let alone sent to slaughter! 

[desmartinson]

I had a feeling this topic would Trigger off a few posts.  

[stoop]

Actually I think it's illegal to export horses for slaughter but not to slaughter them here and export the meat. This is an interesting article that has opened my eyes to the horse trade:

http://www.equinerescuefrance.org/2011/09/export-and-import-of-horses-to-slaughter/

3. Slaughterhouses in the UK.
Currently there are only three publicly licensed to slaughter horses for meat. Potters in the SW, and Turners who have one in Cheshire and the other in the SE.
The UK slaughters approximately 20,000 head of horses each year, roughly the same as France. Horses are being shipped from the UK to France because the abattoirs are too busy. On welfare grounds, it would be better for the horse who is destined to meet that fate if there were more abattoirs licensed for horses in the UK. At least then the more stringent regulations generally applied in British abattoirs would make the final journey for these horses a shorter and more humane one.

[Colwyn]

Tesco have today announced their response to the horsemeat in "beef" products scandal. They are going to source their chickens from Britain.


Look I don't make these things up myself you know: I just report what I hear in the news. I know it doesn't make any sense but it is not my fault.

[Steve (redding43)]

The Tesco promise

Following my last email to you explaining what we are doing to review how we source our food and sharing the progress we are making on our testing programme, today I am announcing some new commitments.   
I know that the discovery of horsemeat in products sold in several major retailers, including Tesco, has shaken your trust in food retailers and the products we sell.
You've told us that you want to buy British. And that the journey from farm to fork should be far less complicated.
I've listened to what you have said and we're making some real and lasting changes.
Today I make you a promise. Tesco is going to bring the food we sell closer to home. We're going to make how we source our food simpler, more transparent and shorter, and we will build better relationships with our nation's famers.
We are the UK's biggest retailer, the biggest customer of UK agriculture and I firmly believe that we should be the best supporter of British farmers.
Already, all of our beef – fresh, frozen and in ready meals – comes from the UK and the Republic of Ireland. So, we have made a start. But events over the past month have reinforced my conviction that we need to move faster and try harder.
As a first step, today I am announcing that from July all of our fresh chickens will come from UK farms. No exceptions. We will also move, over time, to ensure that all the chicken in all of our products - fresh and frozen – is from the British Isles.
We are building on our partnerships with farmers so everyone gets a fair deal. It's the right thing to do for British agriculture and for you, our customer.
I can assure you that everyone at Tesco is committed to ensuring our entire product range offers the highest quality. This applies as much to our Everyday Value range as to our Finest range. We know that, no matter what you spend, everyone deserves to eat well. Whatever a customer is able to afford, there can be no compromise - what's on the pack (and only what's on the pack) is what will be in the product.
Everyone in the food industry has a big job ahead to win back your trust. But I am determined to lead the way, by changing the way Tesco sources food for the better.
The commitments I am making are genuine, and I expect to be held to account for them. That's why we are also establishing an independent panel to improve the way the supply chain works in practice.
So, in summary
   We'll put in place better controls
   We'll bring food closer to home
   We'll build better relationships with our farmers
   We'll create more transparency
Here's the link to a new website that we are launching today, to keep you informed on our progress. Over time, it will allow you to see where the food you are eating comes from, how it was produced and who produced it.
I am clear it is time to do things differently. As the market leader in the UK, it is our responsibility to lead and it's what you, our customer expect of us.
Thank you,
Philip Clarke