Horsemeat. Is it really that bad?

Weathers58

So I get all this discussion on being told what we are eating....BUT. Findus have just land filled 350:000 Lasagne ready meals!

If they had sold them at a reduced price in UK supermarkets (if thats legal) then I'd have eaten them.

Either way surely its not right that we have binned all this stuff when people are dying of malnutrition?

I have eaten horsemeat its not that bad and it is much better than supermarket basic mince.

What do you all think?

Weathers

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Black market horse meat typically goes for around $20 a pound so getting it cheaper would be a steal. Horses are usually pretty lean so it's probably a great source of lean protein. I'm a vegetarian and I used to ride horses so obviously I'd never eat it, but if you're willing to eat a cow I don't see why it would be such a big deal to eat a horse. What makes certain animals OK to eat and others not OK to eat?

Athena53

I once saw a stall in a market in Munich selling horsemeat, so in some places it's in the mainstream. I think the biggest objection was that it wasn't labeled as such. I've never eaten it but I'd try it.

MsPudding

IMO you've missed the point. The issue is not that meat that was labelled as beef was, in fact, horse - the issue is that the supply chain of that meat was totally uncontrolled.

Horse meat is healthy, but horse reared specifically for the human food chain to be sold as horse meat is treated very differently to horses who have been reared to race, work or be someone's pet. The horse meat found in these meals had drugs in it that would NOT have been given to horses bred to supply meat.

The food chain HAS to be traceable and accountable. It is not and that is the travesty.

freelancejouster

I think there's something taboo about eating horsemeat. The main problem is that it was labeled as something else in this case, however. There are places such as Italy and the Middle East where horsemeat is basically just like any other meat.

jst1986

The food chain HAS to be traceable and accountable. It is not and that is the travesty.

Exactly. I've probably eaten it before and never had cause for complaint but the real bugbear is having no control and being lied to as whats in the food.

LittleMissDover

The horse meat found in these meals had drugs in it that would NOT have been given to horses bred to supply meat.

This is the issue, as they can't trace WHERE the horse meat came from it may not have been fit for human consumption.

BerryH

Given the number of people who've said, "I quite fancy trying horse-meat so long as it's not being fraudulently labelled as beef," the meat industry should take advantage and start selling it freely.

I've eat horse abroad, and figure if you're going to eaten one ungulate mammal you might as well eat others. It's a little tougher and not as rich, but cheap is good!

Remember the BSE crisis when the supermarkets started stocking alternative, affordable red meats like kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile? I wish we could get such variety again!

mazdauk

Until relatively recently I used to work for DEFRA. There are several issues here which are getting confused:

1. The first issue is misrepresentation - there may be nothing wrong with the meat but you are not buying what you thought you were. (Same problem if you bought beef meatballs which had pork in them and you could not eat pork for religious/health reasons)
2. The horsemeat found was not licensed for human consumption, and in some cases was found to contain a substance potentialy harmful to human health.
3. Potentially huge fraud perpetrated on the supermarkets/manufacturers by the providers of the raw materials.

Finally, think about WHY it is possible to porduce 4 burgers for £1 - no-one is going to be mincing prime cuts for that, its basically the oddments you would not want to recognise plus MRM - mechanically recovered meat. Look at the price of premium pet foods and basic "people" food. You don't find many people connected with the food industry eating "value" meat products (or processed products at all).

Buy the best raw materials you can afford and make stuff yourself. Make it in bulk and freeze it and voila - a ready meal!

ETA If you're trying to lose weight venison is even better!

bluefox9er

they say that the horsemeat is safe to eat..nothing wrong with that..the problem is when it is passed off as beef..you should have a right to know what you are paying for is what it's supposed to be.

that said, your comment about re-selling those lasagnes to people who would happily buy them knowing what they contain is fully valid..food wastage is simply unacceptable.

tillybeth72

I would eat horse, if it came from my local butcher!! I have not eaten burgers, supermarket sausages, chicken nuggets etc for years and certainly wouldnt feed my dog the stuff the supermarkets sell. I have always supported my local butcher as he knows exactly which farm his stock comes from, and no eyeballs, toenails or eyelids goes in them. The fact that dangerous drugs that have been given to the horses not fit for human consumption have gone into burgers, sausages, pre packed meals doesnt suprise me.

geebusuk

I'd have happily bought them by the van-load for the right price.

Or at least a few a week if we're not talking paying per tonne.

Though never thought the Findus ready meals were that great - do quite like the Bisto ones, however.

But; yes, the horses could have been pumped full of all sorts of things.

Amusingly rather than the public thinking "maybe we shouldn't expect to pay £1 for a complete ready made meal", surveys showed that in general people 'blame' the supermarkets, but still want really cheap food.

ShaunMc1968

Findus also recalled their Fish pies!!!




They had Sea Horse in them!!

icyeyes317

I think it is so taboo, at least here in the US, because it's a 'pet', not a source of food.

rhall9058

IMO you've missed the point. The issue is not that meat that was labelled as beef was, in fact, horse - the issue is that the supply chain of that meat was totally uncontrolled.

Horse meat is healthy, but horse reared specifically for the human food chain to be sold as horse meat is treated very differently to horses who have been reared to race, work or be someone's pet. The horse meat found in these meals had drugs in it that would NOT have been given to horses bred to supply meat.

The food chain HAS to be traceable and accountable. It is not and that is the travesty.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^EXACTLY!!! Well said!!!

drchimpanzee

I prefer dog but eaches own.

TheVimFuego

I've eaten Icelandic Pony and Puffin.

Tastes like human, no big deal.

PinkNinjaKitty

I agree 100% with this :-) If you are ok eating cows that live in concentration like conditions and are pumped up with soy/antibiotics and spend their entire lives in suffering I don't understand why you would have a problem eating a horse.

I don't eat meat anymore but if I did, I would rather eat a lean animal like a horse or a deer over a cow...just saying.

jivitasa

IMO you've missed the point. The issue is not that meat that was labelled as beef was, in fact, horse - the issue is that the supply chain of that meat was totally uncontrolled.

Horse meat is healthy, but horse reared specifically for the human food chain to be sold as horse meat is treated very differently to horses who have been reared to race, work or be someone's pet. The horse meat found in these meals had drugs in it that would NOT have been given to horses bred to supply meat.

The food chain HAS to be traceable and accountable. It is not and that is the travesty.

^^This. Best response I have seen on the topic that hits all the points of what the issue really is.

now_or_never13

Black market horse meat typically goes for around $20 a pound so getting it cheaper would be a steal. Horses are usually pretty lean so it's probably a great source of lean protein. I'm a vegetarian and I used to ride horses so obviously I'd never eat it, but if you're willing to eat a cow I don't see why it would be such a big deal to eat a horse. What makes certain animals OK to eat and others not OK to eat?

This.

If it's ok to eat a cow or a pig why is it not ok to not eat another animal provided they are not an endangered species?

I don't eat any meat as I am a vegetarian. One reason I became vegetarian was because if I'm not going to eat a certain animal I shouldn't eat any animal..but that's just me. I would never eat it but if people do, knock yourselves out.

I think the issue with all the stuff happening is that the products do not have the horse meat listed in the ingredients. If it's legal to sell they could of just changed the label and sold it for those who wouldn't of cared. I'm sure people would of purchased those meals instead of them going to waste. There are two restaurants by me that sell different meats and do really well (crocodile, ostrich, kangaroo, buffalo, moose, etc).

Another poster pointed out a horse can be classified as a pet instead of actually a food source like a cow or a pig. However, there are places in the world that eat dogs and cats even though we keep them as pets.

melsinct

I think the biggest objection was that it wasn't labeled as such.

Here is the issue. I expect to be truthfully told what I am purchasing/eating. If I am told a product is 100% beef, then it better be 100% beef.