Horsemeat scandal hits frozen burger sales

Frozen beef burger sales have been hit hardest by the fall-out from the horsemeat controversy with a new survey indicating half of those who regularly bought them have now cut back.

The survey of more than 1,000 people was conducted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, who said it provided a good barometer for changes in consumer habits as a result of the horsemeat scandal.

Just over half of all those surveyed (51%) said they had regularly bought frozen burgers before news of the horsemeat contamination broke in January. Since then, just 48% of those regular purchasers have continued to buy them in similar quantities. The remaining 52% have either reduced the amount they buy or stopped buying them altogether.

By contrast, the number of respondents who buy fresh beef burgers has remained stable.

Half of all respondents said they are now more conscious about food safety issues in general, while 45% of consumers said they now spend more time reading labels on food products.

Almost all respondents said they had been aware of the horsemeat issue, while 72% said they have confidence in Irish food safety controls and regulations.

Some 53% said they are now more conscious of the ingredients that go into manufactured food products, and 56% of respondents said they are more conscious about the country of origin of food products.

Elsewhere, the survey found 42% of people who said they bought processed foods containing meat now buy fewer of these products, and 56% continue to buy the same amount.

While 61% of respondents said they had been unconcerned about the horsemeat contamination as it unfolded, 29% said they did have issues with it, with 88% of those who expressed concern stating they were worried about other possible contaminants.

More than half of those who said they had worries about the horsemeat issue said they were repulsed by the idea of eating it.

FSAI chief executive Alan Reilly said: “A key lesson for food businesses is that they must have robust supplier controls in place at all times to ensure that they know who is supplying them and that all products and all ingredients are authentic. Purchasing raw materials on face value is a high risk strategy for food processors.”