Horsemeat: Firms across EU dragged into scandal
France is investigating if Findus and Comigel knew their products had been tainted. The country’s junior minister for consumer goods, Benoît Hamon, said an initial investigation showed a French company bought frozen meat from a Cypriot trader, who received the meat from a Dutch food company. That Dutch company had received the meat from a Romanian supplier.
According to the Associated Press, Romanian authorities are investigating and Dutch authorities say they are ready to launch a probe if necessary.
Six French supermarket chains have withdrawn frozen beef meals made by Findus and Comigel.
Mr Hamon said his authority’s probe indicated the horsemeat had been supplied since August and that the fraud had led to profits of about €300,000.
Meanwhile, the British Food Standards Agency has said that while there is no evidence to suggest the horsemeat detected poses a danger to humans, tests have been ordered on products for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone as animals treated with “bute” are not allowed to enter the food chain.
Owen Paterson, the British environment secretary, yesterday said that an “international criminal conspiracy” may have been behind the introduction of horse into the food products. He warned that the contaminated meat could be “injurious” to those who ingested it.
The British tests for bute are expected to be completed by Friday.
Over the weekend, Findus said it was considering legal action against one of its suppliers because an internal investigation strongly suggested the contamination was not accidental.
Findus said it carried out a full product recall last Monday, two days before DNA tests found that some of its lasagne products contained up to 100% horsemeat.
The firm, which has its headquarters in London, tested 18 of its beef lasagne products made by Comigel and found that 11 contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat.
Tesco and Aldi have also withdrawn a range of ready meals produced by Comigel over fears they contained contaminated meat.
