Little horse meat in beef products

Beef after „Horsemeat scandal“ almost free of horsemeat

07/25/2014

It's been more than a year since food labeled as beef has been found in several EU countries, containing up to 100% undeclared horse meat. Frozen food and sauces with minced meat such as lasagne or bolognese sauce were the main ones affected at that time. In order to prevent abuses more easily, the European Commission announced at that time stronger controls and a stronger obligation to declare - which, according to a recent report by the Commission, now seem to have an effect.

Horse meat found in beef products such as lasagna or Bolognese sauce
The so-called „Horsemeat scandal“ In Europe in early 2013 was a shock to many consumers, because at that time horse meat was found in alleged beef products in various European countries. In addition to that were also other, unrecognized meats such as pork and drugs such as the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone been discovered in beef. German supermarkets such as Rewe, Aldi and Edeka immediately took the affected products out of the market, including ravioli and tortellini from the Nestlé brand „Buitoni“ affected.

Also a sample from Germany tested positive
The EU Commission responded promptly and subsequently announced stricter controls and a stronger obligation to declare in order to prevent abuse in the future easier. These measures now appear to have an effect, because as the Commission has recently reported in a press release, beef in the EU is now almost free of horsemeat. As part of the latest pan-European research, the competent authorities of the 28 EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland and Switzerland carried out 2622 tests and found traces of horsemeat DNA in 16 beef samples - corresponding to 0.61 percent of all samples , One of a total of 204 samples from Germany was also tested positive - however, the commission did not reveal any details about this case.

16 detected cases are being prosecuted
Further samples mixing beef with horsemeat were found in Bulgaria and Hungary (four positive each), Portugal (three positive), Latvia (two positive) and Spain and Slovenia, where one case occurred. According to the Commission, the 16 cases detected would now be dealt with by the competent authorities of the respective countries - which would then also take appropriate measures, such as withdrawal from the market, relabelling or additional checks at the food business operator, or take suitable sanctions.

In 2013, 4.6 percent samples of horsemeat traces were found
Nonetheless, the clear decline was considered positive by the experts of the EU authority, as a similar study in spring 2013 had revealed horsemeat traces in 4.6% of the beef samples: „The results are encouraging as they show that the situation has improved significantly“, This is the statement of the European Commission. EU Consumer Affairs Commissioner Tonio Borg was also satisfied and confident about the latest results: „These results demonstrate that our joint efforts are bearing fruit, and that the increased controls to detect food fraud are actually effective. [...] I am firmly convinced that our current efforts will pay off. We have to combat fraudulent behavior together by tackling the weakest parts of the food chain.“

Establishment of an EU network to combat food fraud
The aim of the Commission is therefore to continue to work closely with the EU Member States and other partners „to improve Europe's food fraud responsiveness through a series of initiatives“, so continue the message. These include the creation of an EU network to combat food fraud, and the development of a dedicated IT tool that allows members of the network to quickly share information on possible cross-border fraud cases. (No)