Horsemeat, pig found in UK burgers


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(CNN) -- The discovery of horse DNA in hamburgers on sale at supermarkets in Ireland and Britain is testing the appetite of meat lovers there.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Tuesday that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study were found to contain horse DNA, and 23 of them tested positive for pig DNA.

The horse-tainted burgers, on sale at several different supermarket chains, came from two meat processing plants in Ireland and one in Britain, the Irish authority said.

"This raises concerns in relation to the traceability of meat ingredients and products entering the food chain," it said, but noted that the findings posed no risk to public health.

In nine out of the 10 burger samples, the horse DNA was found at very low levels, the authority said, but in one sample from Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, the horsemeat accounted for about 29% of the burger.

Tesco responded by pulling from its shelves all products from the company that had supplied the dubious burgers.

"We understand that many of our customers will be concerned by this news, and we apologize sincerely for any distress," Tesco said.

The retailer is working with Irish and British authorities and the supplier to work out what had happened, it said.

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After they released this statement they also said getting to the bottom of this mess is their mane concern.

Surprisingly sales have remained stable.

Sorry, these jokes have run their course.

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After they released this statement they also said getting to the bottom of this mess is their mane concern.

Surprisingly sales have remained stable.

Sorry, these jokes have run their course.

Oh, what can I say, I like a good pun. +1 Internet for you, sir.

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It's probably a good thing they didn't test for human, rodent, and cardboard DNA. :shifty:

cardboard DNA is showing up everywhere.

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if i cared about what was in it, i wouldnt buy 8 burger meats for a ?1 !!

plus whats wrong with horsemeat?

seeing as how i have to pay for for deer, id imagine we just got more expensive meet for the price of beef!!

moooooooooooo

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Get a grip people - Cellulose, whatever the source, is used in cooking every day; flour (rice, wheat, cassava, corn etc.) and corn starch. Other thickeners as well; arrowroot etc. The list is very, very long. In many foods it's used to lower the fat content because it mimics fats effect on texture without the downsides of fats, a good thing.

Cellulose is a polysaccharide - a sugar based polymer - that makes up ~34% of all plant matter including every veggie you eat. Wood pulp is just a more efficient source being 40-50% cellulose and having less moisture. By the time it's been wet, run between beaters to loosen the fibers, dried and ground up it's not that different than cellulose from other plant sources.

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I think the issue isn't so much that it was there, but 1) the burgers are supposed to be just beef and are advertised as such, so it's misleading--some people might buy horseburgers if they were sold as such--and 2) nobody seems to know how it got there, which raises questions like 'wtf is going on in that place' and 'what else has gone into these burgers that they don't know about?' :s

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A plausible scenario for how the horse or pig got there is easy;

horse meat is commonly eaten in Europe, in fact much of the world outside the US, and of course so is pork. If the meat grinders were not thoroughly cleaned between batches the residual meats would enter subsequent batches in trace amounts that would decrease over time

Not that mixing meats is unusual in normal foods; meat loaf is often a mix of beef and pork, and hot dogs or other sausages can use both plus chicken or turkey meat. <shrug>

And for ghe record, horse meat is very tasty - and lean.

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A plausible scenario for how the horse or pig got there is easy;

horse meat is commonly eaten in Europe, in fact much of the world outside the US, and of course so is pork. If the meat grinders were not thoroughly cleaned between batches the residual meats would enter subsequent batches in trace amounts that would decrease over time

Not that mixing meats is unusual in normal foods; meat loaf is often a mix of beef and pork, and hot dogs or other sausages can use both plus chicken or turkey meat. <shrug>

And for ghe record, horse meat is very tasty - and lean.

It's not commonly eaten in the UK either, people seem to be too in love with Horses as an animal. The only problem I see with these burgers is that Horsemeat isn't listed on the ingredients, I think instead of recalling all the burgers, they should simply repackage them with updated ingredients listed on the back.

People bitching about eating horse need to stop whining.

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It's not commonly eaten in the UK either, people seem to be too in love with Horses as an animal. The only problem I see with these burgers is that Horsemeat isn't listed on the ingredients, I think instead of recalling all the burgers, they should simply repackage them with updated ingredients listed on the back.

People bitching about eating horse need to stop whining.

Yeah, that was my point. It's more about the lack of transparency.

Doc, I see what you're saying, but 29% isn't "trace amounts" lol. Annnnnndd I don't think horse is commonly eaten in the UK. I've never seen it served anywhere. (Black pudding and stuffed sheep entrails, sure :D )

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What's wrong with a little pork in a hamburger?? I make interesting burgers with mixed meats sometimes. And I hear horse actually taste pretty good. I am not sure, but I think it isn't even as gamy as deer.

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if i cared about what was in it, i wouldnt buy 8 burger meats for a ?1 !!

plus whats wrong with horsemeat?

seeing as how i have to pay for for deer, id imagine we just got more expensive meet for the price of beef!!

moooooooooooo

The problem is with selling horse meat, is, you have to display a horses head above or maybe slightly to the side of the shop entrance or

it is illegal.

I found it funny though, on the news a Muslim girl was complaining that she now does not trust the burgers she allegedly buys from the supermarket contail pig

and that ruins her beliefs.

That was funny as firstly she would buy halaal and secondly from a halaal establishment.

She would not buy super saver 8 for a ?1 burgers.

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I have great respect for horses as a noble animal.

I do not want to eat them, given a choice.

And pig meat tends to make me sick -- I avoid it like the black plague. :|

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I have great respect for horses as a noble animal.

I do not want to eat them, given a choice.

And pig meat tends to make me sick -- I avoid it like the black plague. :|

Which is fair enough, you have your reasons not to want to eat it. Would you condemn others who do eat it though?

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