Traces of horsemeat have been found in beef burgers on sale across British and Irish supermarkets, Food Safety Authority of Ireland informed.
According to the FSAI report, ten out of twenty seven products tested contained horse DNA. Moreover, some burgers in question also included traces of pig DNA. A burger from Tesco, British largest supermarket chain, had about 29% of horsemeat. Traces of horse DNA were also discovered in the meat imported from Spain and the Netherlands.
The frozen burgers had been made at two Irish factories and one British factory. The products had then been sold at Lidl, Aldi and Dunnes Stores, Agence France-Presse reported. According to The Daily Telegraph, amid the horsemeat scandal the shares of Tesco tumbled 1.1%, and its market value shrank by 300 million pounds.
As FSAI stated, neither horse, nor pig DNA traces are dangerous to consumers. However, FSAI together with the British regulatory bodies are determined to find out how come horsemeat and pork were in beef burgers. On January 16, UK Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his concerns about the issue and called for thorough investigation. Meanwhile, Tesco pulled the dubious burgers from its shelves.
