latest meat scare .........
- Thread starter biggs682
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D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
The question in my mind is how long have they been getting away with it? Is this recent or have people been eating horse meat for years?
ComedyPilot
Secret Lemonade Drinker
- Location
- The Kingdom of Yorkshire
At last, someone with reason.
We don't know how long this has gone on, but it should be traceable given the extent of products with horse meat in.
This isn't just one incident. this is a calculated supply of horse meat in large volumes into the food chain, in place of or to supplement other meat products. Someone slaughtered the horse, butchered it, labelled it and sold it to someone who used it as pseudo-beef.
[QUOTE 2304655, member: 259"]I meant the raw meat of course. I wouldn't eat that kind of stuff even if was made out of beef! 
[/quote]
It's been quite a few years since I had any involvement with identifying horsemeat but my experience was that while prime horse and beef would smell slightly different (in part down to the different feed regimes) old cow meat wasn't far off that of old nag horse.Oilier fat on horse, though, and while someone very experienced in handling both meats would probably recognise the difference straightaway, it's not something that is immediately obvious.
I had at one point to undergo a practical food exam (all part of the training for being authorised to seize food) and one of the tricks of the examiners was to throw in some horsemeat and see who would identify it as beef!
As to how long this has been going on, it's difficult to say. Intermittent cases of meat substitution on a small (regional or national supply) scale has been a fact for years. One example - back in the 80s a local butchery chain was prosecuted for including kangaroo meat in its schools supplies. What the economics of that was is anybody's guess but someone must have been flogging it at a giveaway price to make it financially worthwhile. More typically, getting unfit meat back into the food chain has been the main fraud, with some circumstantial evidence of links to organised crime. Again, though, they have tended to be fairly localised scams, albeit financially very lucrative ones.
The EC system of approved premises and traceability is supposed to stop this kind of fraud getting any kind of a hold on an international basis. However, if someone does successfully introduce such meat into the system, there is not much to stop it being traded on repeatedly because the regulation is designed to provide a way of permitting cross-border trade without further border control inspection being required.
[/quote]It's been quite a few years since I had any involvement with identifying horsemeat but my experience was that while prime horse and beef would smell slightly different (in part down to the different feed regimes) old cow meat wasn't far off that of old nag horse.Oilier fat on horse, though, and while someone very experienced in handling both meats would probably recognise the difference straightaway, it's not something that is immediately obvious.
I had at one point to undergo a practical food exam (all part of the training for being authorised to seize food) and one of the tricks of the examiners was to throw in some horsemeat and see who would identify it as beef!
As to how long this has been going on, it's difficult to say. Intermittent cases of meat substitution on a small (regional or national supply) scale has been a fact for years. One example - back in the 80s a local butchery chain was prosecuted for including kangaroo meat in its schools supplies. What the economics of that was is anybody's guess but someone must have been flogging it at a giveaway price to make it financially worthwhile. More typically, getting unfit meat back into the food chain has been the main fraud, with some circumstantial evidence of links to organised crime. Again, though, they have tended to be fairly localised scams, albeit financially very lucrative ones.
The EC system of approved premises and traceability is supposed to stop this kind of fraud getting any kind of a hold on an international basis. However, if someone does successfully introduce such meat into the system, there is not much to stop it being traded on repeatedly because the regulation is designed to provide a way of permitting cross-border trade without further border control inspection being required.
djb1971
Legendary Member
- Location
- Far Far Away
All of you neigh sayers should try it before condemning it.
Btw trot off into current affairs to debate the rights and wrongs of eating Mr. Ed. this was a look at the lighter side of it. There's no need for you come in here on your high horse!
Btw trot off into current affairs to debate the rights and wrongs of eating Mr. Ed. this was a look at the lighter side of it. There's no need for you come in here on your high horse!
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
Totally agree we have no idea how long this has been going on, but a long time seems probable!
While I've certainly eaten horse in France, back in the 1980s the sign of a poorer neighbourhood in a French town was the presence of the Horse Meat shop. The announcement yesterday that various organised crime gangs may be involved suggests it is:- a) rife and b) been going on for a long time!
While I've certainly eaten horse in France, back in the 1980s the sign of a poorer neighbourhood in a French town was the presence of the Horse Meat shop. The announcement yesterday that various organised crime gangs may be involved suggests it is:- a) rife and b) been going on for a long time!
djb1971
Legendary Member
- Location
- Far Far Away
This talk of food has me champing at the bit. I've an unbridled passion for meat!
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
All of this has made me very glad that I don't eat meat - though i'm a little concerned at the rumour than Linda McCartneys sausages have been found to contain traces of uniquorn.
You were itching to post that weren't you?
Hotblack Desiato
Well-Known Member
It's all turning into a can of worms IMO.
djb1971
Legendary Member
- Location
- Far Far Away
Apparently they've been doing it for donkeys years!
totallyfixed
Veteran
- Location
- The only county without a McDonalds
I've been thinking about how they have been getting away with it, and from what I can see to disguise the use of dodgy meat in their lasagna, they were using mascarpone cheese.
Moon bunny
Judging your grammar
- Location
- Basking in my own brilliance.
BOO!! GEROFF!!
