Cameron tells supermarkets: horsemeat burger scandal unacceptable
Why do we eat food which is full of fat and sugar? It is because in times gone by it was a necessity to fuel our physically demanding lives. I was musing what our contemporary diet would look like if mankind forgot its eating past and had to develop food from scratch to meet 21st century living conditions. I suspect we may all be principally vegetarians and there would be very little livestock farming at all in view of the input costs. Not that I am a vegetarian myself but it is an interesting thought in the light of this article which demonstrates just how strange the world of processed meat has become. It tells us:
The British and Irish governments, along with the two countries’ food safety watchdogs, are investigating whether suppliers in the Netherlands or Spain have played a part in the horsemeat scandal that has led to supermarkets clearing their shelves of some burger lines.
But David Cameron has warned British retailers that ultimately they are responsible for the safety and standards of their food supply chain.
Both equine and porcine DNA was found in Irish checks on meat samples at three processing plants – two in Ireland and one in Britain. The British meat industry has admitted the incidents could undermine confidence in its products while stressing assurances from Irish authorities that human health was not at risk.
But ministers are also acutely aware that the presence of traces of porcine DNA could also prove extremely upsetting given the dietary requirements of some of their populations.
Cameron told MPs on Wednesday: “This is a completely unacceptable state of affairs.” The Food Standards Agency would be working with companies with to investigate the supply chain.