I would be interested to know why you think this food fraud is a health issue, and why you think Romanian and Polish food is “ dodgy “ ?
The canned beef was manufactured in Romania in January 2013 and supplied to Home Bargains (TJ Morris Ltd) and Quality Save stores in the UK. The 320g packs are described on the label as ‘Food Hall Sliced Beef in Rich Gravy.’
The product contained horse DNA at a level of between 1 and 5% , and tested negative for the drug phenylbutazone.
The affected batch has been withdrawn from sale. If you have this product stored you are advised to return it to where you bought it.
Horse meat is not identified in the ingredients list and therefore clearly it should NOT have been present in the product.
Horse meat is not a health risk in itself, if it’s not rancid or infected – no evidence has been found for this in the UK “ horse meat scandal “ of 2013. If horse meat has illegally got into the food chain, it may contain the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or 'bute'. 'Bute' is not allowed in the food chain because in humans it can cause rare cases of a serious blood disorder, aplastic anaemia. It’s not possible to say what triggers the anaemia, and therefore a “ safe “ level of residue in meat.
“ Bute “ was banned from use in humans after it was found that about 1 person in 30,000 recipients suffered a serious side effect. But 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 that which used to be given to humans.
This suggests that even if you have eaten products which contain contaminated horse meat, the risk of damage to your health is very low.
Of course it’s patriotic to buy British wherever possible
! “ Details of the manufacturer “ / source of food products are always worth knowing
. We all like to know what we are eating, and that we can trust labels on our food
. It would be even better to support your local high street butcher’s, by shopping there, rather than a supermarket
. Local butchers know best where meat is sourced ! In any case, no matter where it is sourced, eating too much processed meat carries an increased long term risk of cancer.
The UK Food Standards Agency (
http://www.food.gov.uk/
) is an independent watchdog set up in 2000 to protect the public’s health and consumer interests relating to food. It's not perfect. The budget and number of employees was reduced by the Coalition as a result of spending cuts in 2010. The FSA has been criticised for having too close a relationship with food companies, bio-tech companies and large retailers. Also, while the FSA “ remains in control “ in Scotland and Northern Ireland ; nutrition policy is now the responsibility of the English Department of Health and Welsh Government ; while food labelling in England is now a function of DEFRA ( Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ) .
Since this topic IS in the Health Issues section, it could be worth looking at “ Food Poisoning “ here (
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Food-po...roduction.aspx ).
It's difficult to know exactly how many people get food poisoning because mild cases often go unreported.
The FSA estimates that food poisoning affects up to 5.5 million people in the UK each year. Most DO get better without visiting their doctor, and it’s usually due to food contaminated by bugs ( bacteria ) or viruses.
Of course there are different risks and causes of food poisoning elsewhere in the world, such as the Philippines (
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....to-Philippines ).
Quote Reply
Originally Posted by Doc Alan
