The European horse meat scandal continues to expand. Horse DNA has been found in many different products, and now that product has been found in the foods of two major manufacturers, Nestle and Ikea.
Horse meat was found in Ikea meatballs made in Sweden and shipped to 13 countries in Europe. The Czech State Veterinary Administration stopped more than 1600 pounds of the frozen meatballs from reaching commerce. Meatballs from that same batch were shipped to Slovakia, Hungary, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Greeze, Ireland, and Cyprus. Ikea has removed the meatballs from store shelves in all of those countries.
In Spain, public health authorities found horse meat DNA in Buitoni and La Cocinera beef cannelloni made by Nestle. That company is testing meat from its suppliers and has said it will take legal action against at least one supplier.
In a statement, Nestle said, “we would like to reassure consumers that we remain vigilant. In the first week of our new enhanced testing program we carried out hundreds of separate analyses of beef suplied to us and finished products. Only the four tests on beef supplied by H.J. Schypke and Servocar, and tests on products produced from that beef have come back positive. All other tests carried out so far have been negative. The testing continues.”
While there is no health concern from human beings eating horse meat itself, the meat may be contaminated with hormones and drugs if the animals were raced. Medications such as the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone, anabolic steroids, gestagenic steroids, and other substances have no maximum residue limit. The EU has set strict conditions for imported horsemeat, and states “only horses with a known medicinal treatment history, and which on the basis of medicinal treatment records can be shown to have satisfied the appropriate veterinary medicine withdrawal periods, should be allowed to be slaughtered for export to the EU.”
The EU Passport Program isn’t working since they found Bute in some of the samples taken. Bute is used in most every horse in the US. Last year over 167,000 US horses were sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico and most every one of those horses were given Bute. Butevis metabolized in the liver and its metabolites are actually even more dangerous to humans than the drug in its original form. It is also a hypersensitive drug meaning they are unable to establish a safe level because each person reacts differently. Young children are at particular risk due to their bone growth and rapid cell division. Aplastic anemia and birth defects are really not sonethibg one should risk.
The CFIA stated the only test less than 1/2 percent of all the horses sent to slaughter. The USdoes not have a tracking program for our horses. Of the US horse meat slaughtered 80% is shipped to the EU.
To safe their is no danger is irresponsible.