U.K. food safety authorities warned the public Thursday not to eat beef lasagne by the frozen-food company, Findus, that’s imported from France, stating that tests revealed the beef contains 60 to 100 percent horsemeat.
“Findus withdrew the beef lasagne products after its French supplier, Comigel, raised concerns about the type of meat used in the lasagne,” Britain’s Food Standards Agency said in a statement.
Millions of beef burgers have already been taken off the shelves this month — including U.K.-based Burger King restaurants — as it emerged that beef products from three companies in Ireland and Britain contained horse DNA, the Associated Press reports.
The agency said there is no evidence yet of a food safety risk, but urged consumers to return the products to wherever they bought them.
Eating horsemeat is not generally a health risk, but the recent incidents have triggered disgust in Britain and Ireland, where horsemeat is not traditionally eaten, according to the AP. The consumption of horse meat is more common in other parts of Europe, including France. It’s also common in central Asia, China and Latin America, AFP reports.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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