Horse meat discovered in Irish and UK beef burgers

Beef burgers sold in several supermarkets chains in Ireland and the UK have been found to contain horse meat, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

The findings are the result of an FSAI study which tested a number of beef products for the presence of horse and pig DNA.

The study results showed that of the 27 beef burger products that were assessed, ten products (37%) contained horse DNA, while 23 products (85%) contained pig DNA.

While nine of the ten beef burger samples were found to contain low levels of horse DNA, horse meat was found to account for approximately 29% of the meat content in one sample from Tesco.

The beef burgers that contained horse DNA were produced at two processing facilities in Ireland – Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods, Ireland, and one processing facility in UK – Dalepak Hambleton.

These products were on sale in Tesco and Iceland in the UK and Ireland, as well as in Dunnes Stores, Lidl and Aldi in the Republic of Ireland.

In addition to beef burgers, the study tested 31 beef meal products, such as cottage pie, beef curry pie, and lasagne.

The study results revealed that 21 of the products were positive for pig DNA and all were negative for horse DNA.

The findings raise concerns over the traceability of meat ingredients and products entering the food chain, according to the FSAI.

The FSAI noted that the retailers involved are taking steps to withdraw all implicated batches from sale and stated that the products containing pig or horse DNA do not pose a food safety risk to consumers.

FSAI chief executive Alan Reilly said that there is no clear explanation for the presence of horse DNA in products emanating from meat plants that do not use horsemeat in their production process.

"We are working with the meat processing plants and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine to find out how horse DNA could have found its way into these products," Reilly added.