Too trusting

We seem to be approaching the point where it will be easier to identify the meat plants that have not been embroiled in the horsemeat fraud than it will be to list those that have.

Yesterday the Food Safety Authority of Ireland issued a revised protocols for establishing the authenticity of foods and gardaí added a Tipperary meat plant which had been licensed to handle horsemeat to the list of those who might have questions to answer in the saga.

The FSAI protocols require that “all food... satisfy the requirements of food law, that labelling, advertising, and presentation of food must not mislead consumers, and that food business operators with samples testing positive for horsemeat at or above 1% must inform the FSAI immediately”.

Apart from the horsemeat element it would be more than surprising it these rules did not apply already, though it might not be earth-shattering to discover they were policed in a relaxed, trusting way. It is terribly sad, and foolish, that we must now be so suspicious of food producers. Just as we did with the banks, it seems we will pay a very high price for not being far more vigilant.