Scandal set to spur tougher food tests
2013-02-13 22:04
Brussels - European countries demanded more DNA testing
of meat products and tougher labelling rules over a scandal involving horsemeat
sold as beef that has shocked the public and raised concerns over the safety of
the continent's food supply chains.
Officials have said there is no risk to public health
from the tainted foods.
But the suspected fraud has caused particular outrage in
Britain, where many view the idea of eating horsemeat with distaste, and
exposed flawed food controls.
Ministers from the worst-affected EU nations met in
Brussels on Wednesday to discuss their response to the scandal, which erupted
after tests in Ireland showed products labelled as beef contained up to 100%
horsemeat.
"This is impacting on the integrity of the food
chain, which is a really significant issue for a lot of countries. Now that we
know this is a European problem, we need a European solution," Irish Farm
Minister Simon Coveney told reporters as he arrived for the meeting.
Britain's farm minister said the type of tests that
revealed the problem should be carried out routinely in future.
"I would like to see DNA testing of processed meat products
during process and as finished products established as soon as possible right
across every member state," Owen Paterson said.
Both ministers urged EU authorities to propose changes to
labelling rules that would force producers to give the country of origin on
processed meat products.
Currently the requirement only applies to fresh beef, and
will be extended to fresh lamb, pork and poultry from December 2014.
The European Commission, which oversees EU labelling
rules, said it was studying the option.
But officials have warned privately that the complexity
of supply chains would make this almost impossible to implement.
EU and national authorities are still trying to uncover
the source of the suspected fraud.
"All those countries through which this meat product
has passed of course are under suspicion," EU Health Commissioner Tonio
Borg told a news briefing on Wednesday. "By the countries, I mean the
companies in those countries which dealt with this meat product."
He added that it would be unfair at this stage to point
the finger at any organisation in particular.
Not just horse?
On 15 January routine tests by Ireland's Food Safety
Authority found horsemeat in frozen beef burgers produced by firms in Ireland
and Britain and sold in supermarket chains including Tesco, Britain's biggest
retailer.
Concerns grew last week when the British unit of frozen
foods group Findus began recalling packets of beef lasagne on advice from its
French supplier Comigel, after tests showed up to 100% of the meat in them was
horse.
The affair has since implicated operators and middlemen
in a host of EU countries, from abattoirs in Romania and factories in
Luxembourg to traders in Cyprus and food companies in France.
Germany said it was investigating a consignment of beef
lasagne sent from Luxembourg to an unnamed retailer in North Rhine-Westphalia
on suspicion it might contain horsemeat.
The first evidence that the labelling scandal could go
beyond horsemeat also emerged, as upmarket British grocer Waitrose said its
testing found that some of its frozen British beef meatballs might contain
pork.
The firm, part of the John Lewis Partnership, has
withdrawn the product from sale.
