Ikea and Horsemeat

[cresyd]

http://news.sky.com/story/1056625/ike...

I understand that transparency regarding what's in food is very important, particularly regarding issues like allergies. However - I kind of get the feeling that lots of the fuss with horse meat is definitely more a mental "ew" than much of anything else.

[SWISSAIRE]

Now in to UK Taco Bell and UK Birdseye foods:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21631961

A luta continua.

[DoobieWah]

The bottom line is that someone somewhere was defrauding everyone down the "food chain" from them for their own enrichment.

Whether it was the restaurant, or the burger patty maker or the guy that sells them raw meat or the slaughterhouse that sold it to him...someone somewhere knowingly committed fraud.

Simple as that.

[sunshine842]

The processor. Spaghero, a meat-processing facility seems to be the guilty party thus far.

[Bacchus101]

With all the detailed reports on this issue provided here it seems the issue of horse meat regulation is multifaceted, health, fraud and "mental". As a horse owner I would not intentional eat horse meat just as I would not eat fido. Of course farmers have befriended all type of domesticated animals they raise and subsequently service them for dinner. Personal choice regarding what is eaten is a basic human right thus honesty is required to provide the required information to make these decisions no matter the why.

[4X4]

I wonder if this will "Trigger" backlash against Ikea's food? :)

[DoobieWah]

Nay.

[SWISSAIRE]

Nay or Neigh ?

All kidding aside, IKEA is just as much a victim of this fraud as everyone else. It all originates with the suppliers intentionally mislabellling for profit.

[HillJ]

Exactly what I was thinking. I enjoy the IKEA market. I haven't read any statements directly from the retailer though.

[NE_Wombat]

I doubt it. They serve a tasty Filly Cheese Steak.

[chowdom]

that was bad, lol

[4X4]

Maybe Ikea should stop selling meat products and start selling baked goods. I can see biscuits in their future.

[NE_Wombat]

I suspect you're just trying to stirrup trouble, as that menu change wouldn't last furlong.

[HillJ]

Ikea already sells baked goods, cinnamon buns are available daily in the food court. This horse meat issue isn't going to stop me from buying foodstuffs from Ikea. I like their jellies and holiday gift items.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/cooking/16260/

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/IKEA_Foo...

[sunshine842]

um.. sadly for Ikea comes this as news of an incident in December:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001...

[HillJ]

oh boy...

[HillJ]

I wonder how this news has impacted the small Swedish food stores inside each IKEA. All products not just the meat sold.

[bcc]

Apparently some of those horses were sold for as little as $50 apiece. I find it hard to believe that these beasts would satisfy the food safety regulations in most countries.

Here in Switzerland we have our own scandal. Traces of pork have been found in the meat being sold for halal kababs.

[SWISSAIRE]

Horsemeat is legal in many countries here. France for example. And it is not bad as meat: Somewhat sweet, compared to beef.

The problem here is the " means and method " of how it got into the food system. Which is by stealth, deception, and given the blackmarket fortunes to be made, outright fraud.

Further comes the concern regarding disease and the use of antibotics, or your mental "ew " concern. Regulated horsemeat legally sold and processed in Europe comes with a " passport " for each horse detailing the complete medical history of each animal.

In the current and growing scandal, none of this was done. No one knows the medical history of the animals, antibiotics included. Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), also known as “Swamp Fever" is one very valid concern. I won't detail into it but if you read about it you can project and envision why.

The DNA tests of the meat products only show that horsemeat is present. But with no passport, there is no mediacl history.

I am glad they caught onto it when they did. It shows one problem within the EU regarding border, health and food inspections. If it had be properly regulated, controlled and reported as horsemeat on the packages, I would not have a problem with it. But a few Euros change hands, records and documentation are then subsequently altered, and when no one got caught, perhaps for years, the problem spread.

I do have problem with the tonnage of destroyed food that could have fed people going hungry ( and they exist here in Europe ). It was was probably safe, but embarassed authorities and panicked store employees pulled the packages and disposed of them in the trash.

Apparently, according to the cartoon, you can't believe what is printed on the package label anymore.

[sunshine842]

according to the French health authorities, the meat that came from the Romanian abattoires was legal and properly labeled on the cartons and on the invoices.

The switcheroo was engineered at Spanghero, and furthered by Comigel, who "self-blinded" by not running tests on the shipments.

[paulj]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb...

[cresyd]

This is another view of the horsemeat scandal/issue (http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2013...).

Clearly having unregulated meat is problematic for all of the reasons you listed. But what the Slate article details is probably more of the issue regarding the expectation of cheap food - especially cheap meat.

I guess one blessing about the Taco Bell "not enough meat to be called meat" issue was that the filler was mostly soy protein.

[sunshine842]

depends on where you are -- there are plenty of countries where eating horsemeat is no big deal -- but even the folks in those countries are furious because of the labeling and truth issues.

[cresyd]

I completely agree on transparency - but, I also suspect that the reason for the lack of transparency regarding this praticular meat is because people will respond badly.