Auditors to investigate horse meat incident
17/01/2013
Tests carried out by Irish food safety experts on samples of burgers being sold as beef products in five retailers in the two countries showed the products contained other types of animal DNA. In the case of one product, supplied to retailers by Irish manufacturer Silvercrest, 29% of the meat content was shown to be horse.
Silvercrest said immediately that the ingredients from the burgers had come from two suppliers in continental Europe, adding that there was no connection between the presence of horse meat in the Irish-made burgers and an increase in horse slaughter in Irish abattoirs in recent years.
In a follow-up statement, Silvercrest’s parent company, ABP Food Group, has said: “We are shocked by the result of these tests, and are currently at a loss to explain why one test showed 29% equine DNA. ABP Food Group companies have never knowingly bought, handled or supplied equine meat products and we acknowledge the understandable concern created.”
ABP said it had sent auditors to the two supplier companies, but made it clear that both are “licensed and approved European Union suppliers”. It added: “We are conducting our own DNA tests on a wide number of samples and expect the results in the coming days. It is vital that the integrity of the supply chain is assured and we are committed to restoring consumer confidence.”
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