Horse Meat Scandal

Lupercalia

I have found this:


What is the veterinary drug phenylbutazone or 'bute'?

The Food Standard Agency has confirmed that tests have been ordered on Findus beef lasagne products for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone.

Animals treated with 'bute' are not allowed to enter the food chain as it may pose a risk to human health.

Bute was banned from use in humans after it was found that about 1 person in 30,000 recipients suffered a serious side effect.
Bute can cause rare cases of a serious blood disorder, aplastic anaemia.

In levels reported in previous FSA testing of contaminated meat, the maximum level found would have to be multiplied a thousand-fold to be at the same level as which used to be given to humans.
It suggests that even if someone eats contaminated meat, the risk of damage to their health is very low.

The FSA has said there is no evidence to suggest the horse meat found in Findus lasagne is a food safety risk

harric88

I used to keep my horse on a beef producing farm who supply Tesco's in the UK. They're VERY strict on what the cows are fed and living conditions / medical records etc. Cattle are also graded at market and you do get what you pay for! One of my horses had to be destroyed a few years ago because he had cancer and my other horse had to be destroyed becauses she basically had the equine equivalent of cushings disease so I dread to think how bad that would have been for someone to consume them . Horses aren't fed to be eaten cattle have suppliments in their diet as well. Theres also rules about eating cattle over 36months due to the risk of BSE - they aren't allowed to go for human consumption (they become dog food!)

***For people in the UK don't eat ANY meet unless it has a little tractor logo on (high graded approved) ***
With Sausages anything less than butchers premium god knows what you're getting!!!! (all farmers will tell you the same)

I'm now living in Ireland so I am slightly concerned however due to my health kick I only eat chicken, steak and salmon (M&S only )

There's no such thing as good quality cheap meat...

miracle4me

I live in Ireland and we only buy our meat from our Irish Butcher and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt he gets the cattle from Ireland he ages it for us for 14 days and my husband saw it hanging at his shop. We get our Pork from a local farmer who raises Pigs.

I would never willingly eat horse meat. I was shocked as we found in our freezer hamburger patties from Tesco that contained the horse meat. The packages were all thrown away and thankfully we never ate it. If people want to eat horse meat at least label it would be common sense.

We have our own Chickens to make sure the eggs we buy are really organic and the chickens are free range not locked in cages. We also have our own goats for the goat milk and cheese. I also will never knowingly buy cloned meat or GMA food.

kingofcrunk

I'm surprised that horse meat tastes so similar to beef. Although I suppose lasagne beef can hardly be classified as a beefy taste - more like mushed up meat!

I think the real problem is that there is no quality control in the meat production. The horses could have been fed bute (a type of horsey painkiller) that is not great for humans to be eating.

I say all this from the point of view of a horse lover. I know they get eaten elsewhere in the world, but you expect that when you go into a supermarket in the UK that you will be sold the meat advertised. It's really shocking.

jamesh87uk

Reading this thread I'm amazed that's not more horse puns. Neighhhhh bother.

harric88

Do you remember all the VIVA campaigns and the little grey mare campaign a few years ago?! I think this is also where a lot of the surplus racehorses have cleary gone as well from Ireland

squindles

Simply don't eat processed foods and you don't have to worry about this nonsense. I've always cooked from scratch, as it's what my mum did, and what I learned to do growing up. It's really not difficult and it is so much healthier and tastier than any frozen, boxed, canned or otherwise pre-prepared food you buy in the grocery store. Buy your meat from a butcher, or better yet, the farmer himself. Get to know the people who sell you food if you're truly concerned. But guess what--you're not gonna be able to buy top quality meat for ridiculously cheap prices.

The other option is you can choose to be ok with not knowing exactly what is in your food. Not sure why the big freak out over horse meat--as it's been pointed out repeatedly, people all over Europe eat horse meat and have done so for ages. Nothing any more strange or wrong about that than eating cow or pig. And honestly, I'm pretty sure there are worse ingredients in your processed, 10 for £1 "hamburgers" and "lasagna" than a bit of horse meat. Cow ringpieces and eyeballs, etc. and those ingredients are NOT banned in the UK. :sick:

I'm pretty sure the horse in your Findus lasagna or Tesco frozen "hamburger" patties died from being slaughtered in an abbatoir. They didn't find Black Beauty dead by the side of the road or something! And what makes you think the horses were in any worse condition than the cows in your processed foods? Do you really think the cows you eat in those cheap foods are so well taken care of? None of this makes any sense.

There are people all over the world (and I don't mean any third world countries) who, through whatever circumstances, cannot AFFORD not to buy all this processed stuff.I make my own lasagne from scratch and for 4 it costs £5.00 where as an Asda smart price one is £3.00. £2 in this economic situation makes a BIG differance!! So, what I hear from you is" to heck with all those people, tuff luck its their own choice etc, etc, etc."You should count yourself lucky that you're in a situation where you can afford not to buy processeed!!

squindles

Reading this thread I'm amazed that's not more horse puns. Neighhhhh bother.

I would have posted some but they were off........................

sandradev1

I would be more worried about the other crap they are allowed to put in your food. At least horse is actually meat.

^^ THIS^^^ that's why I am glad that I don't buy processed foods unless there is no other option. I even make my own sauces from fresh ingredients.

harric88

The paleo diet is to eat "anything that had a face, came from the ground or you can grow it" soooo horse is in there

KittenTikka

Horses that find their way illegally into the human food chain could potentially contain other prohibited drugs, not just anti-inflammatories. In the UK, all horses (by law) have to have passports - which have either a signed declaration stating "Not For Human Consumption" or if this is not signed, then ALL drugs given have to be recorded. The problem is, not all horses have passports, some horses seem to be accompanied by the wrong passport (I once vaccinated a horse which, according to its passport, was 12yrs old - I checked the teeth to find several incisors missing and the angles of the jaw suggested that this animal was at least double its passported age). If a passport was issued for a horse before a certain date the horse did not require a microchip to be implanted thus allowing for falsification (if we issue a new passport for any horse now, if it has not already been chipped we have to implant a chip at the same time). Our regulations are not as tightly maintained as they should be, and it's almost impossible to track every horse in this country - other countries may be even more lax in their approach...

Tara1B

Findus Foods: Just Say Neigh...

Ha! I didn't actually know Findus still existed until yesterday!

Snoozypaws3000

I am so glad to be vegetarian

So you should be!! I am not veggie but I cook everything from scratch and always have!! And I am so glad!! We even make our own burgers in our house!! Thank goodness!!

It goes without saying that that we should know what we are eating but cooking from scratch isn't the same as eating totally unprocessed or clean.

According to your diary you use Smash instant mash rather than fresh spuds, have shop bought cereal, bread and yogurts etc.
All of these things can be "contaminated"

Just sayin'

Lupercalia

If you can't afford to eat good quality meat and still want to eat it, you're kind of out of luck.

I didn't make that rule, that's just how the world is. As for me, I'd love to be able to eat high quality steak daily, but I can't afford it, so I'm stuck with cheaper cuts of meat and a steak on the rare occasion, when I can splurge a little.

One can definitely cook from scratch and eat well on a budget, so spare me the ASDA argument. You don't know me or my situation, but I'm not financially well off, and neither was my family growing up. We make sacrifices in other areas in order to eat decent food, because that is important to us as a family.

Snoozypaws3000

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Looseitpleasess

That's why you should support BRITISH farmers and but from a local butcher!!

miracle4me

I did not know it was in Lasagna frozen meals also. I just read this link from drudgereport.com that explains it is 80 % horse meat! Ireland is known for the best Irish Beef free range so this is shocking news. The horse meat came from France. I am thinking it had to be old horses or sickly horses they would not use healthy horse stock. Just wait we will hear soon it is happening in USA also. Food prices in Europe are at least twice the price of USA prices there is no excuse for this. Cattle have to be registered in Ireland and kept track of even if you only want 1 cow. Irish Food standards are high and I have no doubt the standards will go higher.

http://news.sky.com/story/1049133/findus-beef-lasagne-meals-100-percent-horsemeat

amy1612

I don't eat processed meat. To be honest, if youre buying value sausages, burgers, etc, horse meat is probably one of the LEAST concerning ingredients. Its not going to kill you.

barrattandrew

Findus Foods: Just Say Neigh...

haha just made me chuckle

EdwarddeVere

I am so glad to be vegetarian

What about all the insect poop?