[stevenash]

This is the third wave of test results received by the FSA, which has now received a total of 5,430 test results.

Meanwhile, new tests conducted on beef retail products revealed no new cases of horsemeat adulteration, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said.

This latest round of tests saw 1,797 products being examined.

The FSA has asked retailers to test beef products for the presence of more than 1% of horsemeat, with anything above that figure considered to be a sign of adulteration.

Its latest results have found that more than 99% of tests show no horse DNA at or above the level of 1%.

The affected products are Birds Eye's Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese and Beef Lasagne - which the company took of shelves last week as a precaution; Brakes' Spicy Beef Skewer; Taco Bell's Ground Beef.

'Let down'Taco Bell has three outlets in Britain and says all its affected stock has been removed. The products had come from a supplier in Europe, the company said.

A spokesman for Taco Bell said: "Once we learned of this issue, we immediately voluntarily tested our product for our three Taco Bell restaurants in the UK.

"Based on that testing, we learned ingredients supplied to us from one supplier in Europe tested positive for horsemeat.

"We immediately withdrew it from sale, and discontinued purchase of that meat and contacted the Food Standards Agency with this information. We apologise to our customers and take this matter very seriously as food quality is our highest priority."

Birds Eye said in a statement: "We are introducing a new ongoing DNA testing programme that will ensure no minced beef meat product can leave our facilities without first having been cleared by DNA testing."

Brakes, which is based in Ashford, Kent, said: "Our testing programme represents a significant proportion of all results the FSA has obtained from across the food industry.

"Brakes have also segregated a frozen burger as a precaution after equine DNA at 1% was reported to the Food Standards Agency."

It said it was "very disappointed to have been let down" by suppliers and that it "sincerely apologised to our customers."

Retailer testsThe BRC says 95% of its members' products have been checked, including all minced beef lines used by the UK's largest supermarkets.

There have been 361 tests on 103 products carried out since 22 February.

The trade organisation represents a range of retailers, including supermarkets and independent shops.

A total of 1,889 tests have been carried out by BRC members since 20 January, with 0.3% of them finding traces of horsemeat.
The BRC's food director, Andrew Opie said: "The UK's major supermarkets, and a number of other BRC-member food businesses, have now tested all existing processed minced beef products.

"The reassuring news is that another intensive week of testing has produced no new positive results. And, since this testing programme started in mid-January, just a third of 1% of products have tested positive."

Food withdrawalsHorsemeat was first discovered in January in frozen burgers on sale in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and since then traces have been discovered in processed beef products and prepared meals across the EU.

A first wave of tests on beef products sold in the UK found horsemeat in some products sold by Aldi, Co-op, Findus, Rangeland and Tesco.

Subsequent rounds of testing revealed adulteration in some products sold by Asda, Sodexo - which supplies food to schools, care homes and the armed forces - and the Whitbread Group.

Last week Ikea withdrew a batch of frozen meatballs from sale in the food section of stores in the UK, and other European countries, after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat in those products.

[innovation]

yee - haw

who was the first person to say we eat cows not horses anyway? I bet other planets have it opposite. They probably prefer tougher, leaner meat.

[stevenash]

^
China eats dog meat

[innovation]

It is sickening though what greed will do to mankind.

When I was around 16 I was hired on to a meat department in a big chain grocery store. My boss the manager to keep profit margins up had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. When 5lb (chubs) of prepackaged ground beef would go past the expiration date. He would make us cut them open and mix it with fresh ground beef and wrap them up and sell them as the daily fresh grind. Same with pork just go grab the stuff that started to turn and grind it up with some newer stuff. The worst though was steaks and beef cuts that were turning so bad we had to hide the discoloration by making them a peppered steak or some type of seasoning encrusted on the surface. I learned a lot of what I to avoid when I go into a supermarket. Any chicken, pork, beef, that is already pre-seasoned I avoid.

I am sure anyone who has worked in any food industry has similar experiences. When I was 14 I was hired at a local family 24 hour diner to was dishes on the graveyard shift. One day the hot water boiler busted and the boss for 3 days (because he was so cheap) had me run through all the dishes with regular cold water. If you know those industry washers it is the high temperature of the water that sanitizes the dishes.

[sickler]

It is sickening though what greed will do to mankind.

When I was around 16 I was hired on to a meat department in a big chain grocery store. My boss the manager to keep profit margins up had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. When 5lb (chubs) of prepackaged ground beef would go past the expiration date. He would make us cut them open and mix it with fresh ground beef and wrap them up and sell them as the daily fresh grind. Same with pork just go grab the stuff that started to turn and grind it up with some newer stuff. The worst though was steaks and beef cuts that were turning so bad we had to hide the discoloration by making them a peppered steak or some type of seasoning encrusted on the surface. I learned a lot of what I to avoid when I go into a supermarket. Any chicken, pork, beef, that is already pre-seasoned I avoid.

I am sure anyone who has worked in any food industry has similar experiences. When I was 14 I was hired at a local family 24 hour diner to was dishes on the graveyard shift. One day the hot water boiler busted and the boss for 3 days (because he was so cheap) had me run through all the dishes with regular cold water. If you know those industry washers it is the high temperature of the water that sanitizes the dishes.

Good post. I've always avoided buying peppered or seasoned cuts of meat, not because I suspect they're turning bad, but you can't see gristle or the redness of the beef. Redder the better?

[TheMetsSuck]

who knew horse meat was so tasty?

[Bostongambler]

I hope it wasn't Mr. Ed

[smitch124]

Why is 1% horse meat ok? They expect a random horse or two to wander into the slaughterhouse?

[freeVICK]

I could care less. Only time I go to Taco Bell is after the bars when I'm wasted. That cardboard/horse meat combo tastes great

I think horse meat is a delicacy in Japan?

[DiggityDaggityDo]

If it tastes the same whats the problem?

[Dirty Sanchez]

Ohhh...nothing...dig in

[PAULYPOKER]

Horse meat is lean and healthy............

“Horse meat is often described as tender, lean, slightly sweet to the taste, and somewhere between grass-fed beef and really good elk or venison in taste…It is prized by mothers as baby food in places like Italy and Japan, and especially sought after by athletes as a lean, high-protein, red meat perfect for building body condition.”

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Which part of the horse is used for meat? Anybody know?

[PAULYPOKER]

[Bostongambler]

Why is 1% horse meat ok? They expect a random horse or two to wander into the slaughterhouse?

Hahahaha

[Bostongambler]

Nice tail

[Kermit]

As long as the chicken doesn't turn out to be crow meat, I will return. I may return even if it is found that it is crow meat.

[zizoudane10]

Well, I don't like her, but did she really deserve this?

[gauchojake]

Well, I don't like her, but did she really deserve this?

Neigh

[smitch124]

Horse meat is lean and healthy............

“Horse meat is often described as tender, lean, slightly sweet to the taste, and somewhere between grass-fed beef and really good elk or venison in taste…It is prized by mothers as baby food in places like Italy and Japan, and especially sought after by athletes as a lean, high-protein, red meat perfect for building body condition.”

True as a food there is nothing wrong with horse meat, but its still nice to know you are eating it.

[innovation]

Well I never questioned the Hispanic lady who sold me tamales and burritos out of the trunk if her car. If you worked construction in the southwest you know what I am talking about. Sh*t was the bomb.

[darrell74]

whats bad about horsemeat?

im not a farmer so thats why i dont know

[zizoudane10]

whats bad about horsemeat?

im not a farmer so thats why i dont know

To be honest here now (besides of the pic I posted):
Absolutely nothing is wrong with horsemeat. It is some really well tasting meat. And what's even better: The older the horse, the better the meat. An old horse is way tender than a young one. Whereas a young cow is way tender than an old one. So horsemeat is actually perfectly fine.

But, and that's a big one: I WANT TO FCKING KNOW WHAT I'M EATING! If it is declared as 100% beef from a cow, it better be 100% fcking beef of a cow. And if it's declared as 100% horsemeat it better be 100% horsemeat. And if it is declared as 50% crocodile, 25% zebra and 25% elephant, it better be exactly that!
You don't fck around with food man!
Even more: Do you know why they are using horsemeat? Because it's cheap as potatoes. Why is it as cheap as it is? Is it cheaper to raise a horse until you slaughter it than a cow? NO. It is as cheap as it is because this is what happens: People in f.e. Romania, Serbia, Georgia, etc etc etc are using horses as working animals. They have the flue? Antibiotics! They have open wounds? Cortisone! They are tired and/or old? Anabolica! They are giving them everything possible, as long as it helps and they are able to work and they don't have to buy a new one which is damn expensive for them.
And in case it is to old or to ill or to wounded sometimes? They are going to the butcher. A butcher in Romania pays about 80-120€ (104-156$) for a horse that would be shot or killed anyway. They slaughter it. Bones are used for glue and soap. Skin is used for leather. Flesh that can't be used, is used to make saltpeter. And the normal meat? Right, they are selling it to bigger meat factories. These factories are buying it cheap as penetrate and are using it for lasagna, burger and everything and make a goddamn fortune out of it while declaring it as 100% beef of a cow f.e.

I seriously want to shoot every goddamn motherfcker who is fcking us, the customers, over like that! For real!