Europol to investigate horse meat scandal

The EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, has been asked to assist in the investigations into the Europe-wide horse meat scandal.

It comes after Findus beef lasagne products, which are made by a French company, were found to contain up to 100% horse meat.

The alarm was raised after Comigel, the French food producer, alerted Findus and retailer Aldi that their products did not conform with production standards.

Aldi said it felt “angry and let down” by Comigel.

An Aldi spokesman said: “Tests have been completed that show horse meat in the withdrawn products. In samples selected at random, tests demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat.

“This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier.

“If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef. Suppliers are absolutely clear that they are required to meet our stringent specifications and that we do not tolerate any failure to do so.

“We have acted quickly to withdraw the affected products from sale, conduct additional testing and review the performance of our suppliers. The products from Comigel will not be sold in our stores again and we will no longer take any product from Comigel.”

Following the announcement the Food Safety Authority in the UK carried out testing of a sample of 18 of Findus beef lasagne products and discovered that 11 meals contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat.

The food producers warning also related to the Aldi 'Today's Special' frozen beef lasagne and Today's frozen spaghetti bolognese which have also been found to contain up to 100% horse meat.

Horse DNA has also been found in products in Sweden and Spain.

UK authorities, who were working with the Gardaí and the Department of Agriculture have now asked French police to investigate these latest findings.

Last night the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said once the investigation into how horse meat made it into the Irish food chain is complete, more rigorous testing will be introduced.