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Leonhard Foeger / Reuters
An employee of the microbiological laboratory of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety prepares a sample of minced meat in Vienna this week. The samples of minced meat are tested for the presence of horse meat as a precaution. United States officials say it's highly unlikely the scandal will reach U.S. consumers.
Europe’s scandal over horse meat hidden in beef products -- including recalls of Nestle ravioli and Birds Eye chili con carne -- has renewed questions about whether Americans unwittingly could be eating equine products as well.
U.S. Department of Agriculture regulators say it’s highly unlikely that beef adulterated with horse meat could make it to the nation’s dinner plates because no domestic suppliers currently slaughter horses and the agency has strict labeling and inspection standards for imported meat.
But agency officials also acknowledge privately that species testing for meat imported into the U.S. is performed typically only when there’s a reason to question a shipment.
And a Florida company that supplies the only validated tests for horse meat in food has been slammed with nearly 1,000 requests in recent weeks for its $500 kits -- including orders from major U.S. meat producers.
“It’s becoming a little hectic,” said Natalie Rosskopf, administrative director of Elisa Technologies Inc. of Gainesville. “There was no call for horse testing a month ago. Nothing.”
Continental Europe has been roiled recently by reports of horse meat masquerading as beef in frozen burgers and prepared foods, including frozen dinners and pastas. This week, Nestle announced it was removing chilled pasta products produced by a German supplier, including Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, from stores in Italy and Spain, and a lasagna product from France. On Friday, frozen food maker Birds Eye said it would withdraw products including chili con carne from Britain and Ireland because tests detected traces of horse DNA.
The trouble with horse meat hidden in beef is partly a health concern. Meats taken from store shelves in Britain and Germany had traces of a powerful equine painkiller, phenylbutazone, or “bute,” which is banned in animals destined for human food, tests showed.
But it’s also about trust, especially in the U.S., where many shudder at the mere thought of eating horse meat and the deception would raise even more suspicion about a company’s practices.
“If a company is willing to commit fraud, I can’t imagine that food safety is the biggest thing on their agenda,” said Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer and food safety expert who publishes a blog focused on the industry.
In fact, boneless beef adulterated with horse meat -- and with kangaroo -- did make it to the U.S. more than 30 years ago, when mislabeled meat from Australia led to the impounding and testing of 66 million pounds of the product, according to old USDA records found and posted by Marler.
Known as the “Australian meat incident,” the beef substitution scandal prompted swift action and increased scrutiny by agency officials.
USDA officials couldn’t quickly produce records of species testing results in the past 30 years -- or even the past year -- but they say the possibility of that happening again is remote. The U.S. neither slaughters horses nor imports horse meat from other countries, and it doesn’t allow import of beef from the countries and companies involved in the European scandal, an official told NBC News. (He was speaking on background because he said he wasn’t authorized to discuss the issue.)
In addition, USDA inspectors look at every shipment of meat sent through U.S. ports and can demand species testing if anything is amiss, documents show.
Officials with the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees processed foods, said that they had detected no horse meat in imported or U.S.-made food.
“We have no past record or current indication that horse meat is an ingredient in any FDA-regulated processed foods in the U.S.,” Jalil Isa, an FDA spokesman, said in an email. He added that FDA officials are reaching out to Nestle and Birds Eye to ensure that no adulterated food was sent to the U.S. Nestle has said no U.S. products use meat from European sources.
Birds Eye Iglo U.K. products have no connection to the Birds Eye brand in the U.S., which is owned by Pinnacle Foods, and isn’t affiliated with the U.K. supplier.
Producers such as the meat giant Cargill say they don’t import beef from plants that also slaughter horses, or from the companies and suppliers implicated in the European scandal, and they remain confident that their meat is free of adulteration.
“Cargill’s beef supply chain is shorter than those involved in the horse meat issue in Europe and we know, and work directly with, our suppliers, which minimizes the potential for fraudulent substitution of products,” Cargill spokesman Mike Martin told NBC News in an email.
Still, the problems in Europe could prompt renewed scrutiny, he added.
“We do not analyze for other species and are assessing the current situation to determine if this is something we might do in the future,” Martin said.
If they do, they’ll have to turn to Elisa Technologies for the horse species test, said Rosskopf. The company’s meat species kits, which verify animal proteins in raw and cooked meat samples, have been used for years by the USDA and by private firms, she said.
Before the discovery in Europe of horse meat in beef, the firm’s typical demand was for tests for more common species, for instance, to confirm that no pork was present in kosher meat, Rosskopf said. Now, meat suppliers mostly in Europe, but also in the U.S., have been clamoring for the equine test.
Have there been any positive tests so far?
“I can’t say,” said Rosskopf, noting that the company is known for its adherence to confidentiality agreements.
Of course, putting horse meat on the dinner table is common in many countries, including France, Canada, Mexico and Japan, to name a few. And it’s not unheard of on American menus, either. Slaughterhouses that produced horse meat for human consumption were in operation in the U.S. until 2007, when the last three of a one-time high of 16 or 17 plants closed under state and federal pressure.
Congress effectively banned the practice then by refusing to fund USDA inspections of the slaughterhouses. Those efforts were fueled by vocal anti-slaughter activists who regarded the practice as inhumane.
The arrangement stayed in place until 2011, when the Obama administration quietly lifted the restriction, partly out of concern for the neglect of horses in the U.S. and the treatment of horses that were shipped to Canada and Mexico to be killed.
The U.S. exported more than 46,000 metric tons of horse meat in 1990, a figure that fell to about 5,600 metric tons in 2007, when the ban was enacted, industry figures show.
Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis is trying to reinstate horse slaughter in the U.S. and to build a new source for the meat in America and abroad.
Her application is among those pending with the USDA to open horse slaughterhouses in Missouri, Iowa and New Mexico. The firms would produce what she and other advocates call “cheval,” horse meat that she said is prized by gourmet cooks and health enthusiasts for its taste and lean profile. Plus, Wallis said, horse meat is generally about 40 percent cheaper than beef.
“There are plenty of people in America who have no problem with cheval and are anxiously awaiting our product,” she said.
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i was doing a NATO exercise in Belgium one time, they actually served horse meat in the chow hall there one time. i thought it was pretty good, just a little tough is all.
Meat is meat is meat. I would not have a problem with eating horse.
Meat is MEAT???? Wow what world are you from --read my excerpt below on what is actually inside a horse before you eat in in recent years we have made great medical science steps to gain strides literally in horse health and all those advances medications, vaccines, dewormers, pesticides etc they will kill you!
Exactly, we are obsessed with allowing govt to tell us what to eat, what to drive what to say and what to squat! The consumption of horse meat , if a person desires it , is no ones dam business, besides the 'authoritarian progressives" in our society show just one more DOUBLE STANDARD as they infringe upon others rights to impose what they consider worthwhile diversity, yet attack foods eaten by other societies! GOVT LEAVE US TO HE-L ALONE!
First, as long as it taste good and it's healthy I care less. A horse is nothing but another animal.
People in the Southern hemisphere eat Guinea pigs and we have them as pets.
Second, no doubt those who supply the meat didn't care selling you that Pink Slime instead of selling it as animal feed so they have no interest in anything other than making a US Greenback.
In all honesty if I read on the package 100% beef that's exactly what I want to be paying for but if it said 30% meal worm then I'll eat that also because it's nothing but protein. Just don't lie to me.
Then again how many times have we tried to get proper labeling for GMO foods so we can make a CHOICE and Monsanto amongst others has blocked every effort to save their interests safe or not.
Either way it's nice that we pay a substantial amount of taxes just so our own Government protects the food industry instead of us.
I want to have you understand that the medications, tranquilizers, pain killers, pesticeds, dewormers, bute, and over 300 vaccines, medications and supplements including high dosages of mineral and vitamins, not to mention legal and illegal drugs-read the comment section where I posted the list of whats in todays horses they do NOT have testing for and that the FDA bans from any form of meat.
Horse meat? Oh No! Oh NO! Horse meat is the same as cow meat. Get over it.
But the saddle tastes like cow hide.
I like how all you people defend this as we are Americans finding out the truth after so long of being told lies. Because at first you bigots would say Oh those Chinese people only eat horse and disgusting animals. When YOU find out what you eat for years, you go uh cough uhm.... I feel like a retarded American uhm Yeah its ok I like it. Why dont you apologize you pieces of ignorant crap.
Believe your intuition.
you are dense-no one should have to consume anything fraudulently and if you were smart you would have reported your concerns to someone-I am notifying anyone and everyone I can period!
Your a stupid American why the hell should I trust you Lance?
Its no coincidence that if the whole world says we are ignorant a.s.sholes than maybe we are.
Am I getting 1/8 lb beef and 1/8 lb horse when I order a quarter pounder? Don't really care. I have no problem eating horse or any other kind of meat.
Should be concerned the highest numbers on record EVER of horses reported to have contracted Hepatitis, AIDS, Lepto-spirosa, HYPP, EPM and EIA (coggins-rampant dangerous cdc controlled disease) please be aware these horses gets multitudes of drugs, vaccines, dewormers, and illnesses all lethal to dogs and people. We do not have ANY screening except for BUTE. This should send up bells and whistles, we are treat ing horses for health conditions and with expirimental drugs we dont know anything about. All these horses are coming from all over the states, killer buyer are inscrupulousp-they check nothing-they buy for weight, they do not care if you live or die-they figure its going overseas and as long as they dont eat it they are ok-See my post below to read the entire page will enlighten you and surely adapt your opinion.
I say NEEEEEEIGH.
Our president eats dogs.
Whereas you just are one.
Girl.....That is the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. When I play with my golden retrievers, they seem so happy. I have always said in my next life, I want to be a dog, with one stipulation. I do not want to end up on the White House menu.
The wild horse herds here in Colorado should all be taken as meat. It could help the outrageous price of beef come down. Plus, the horses destroy the habitat for deer and elk as horses pull up grasses by the roots and kill it, where deer and elk bite the grasses off, allowing them to keep growing. Using wild horses as meat is a win-win proposition.
The wild horses were here before you.
Nay.
Horse,cow,pig ,soylent green.Just can't pass T.B. test.W.T.F.
Mr. Ed , Silver !!!!! run baby run !!!!!!
Killing horses for meat is inhumane because...why exactly? Because horses have more personality than cows?
Meat is meat. Though I wouldn't want to see Fido and Fluffy on my plate, I don't have a problem with anyone else doing that.
I posted a reason list why-you may not want a horse to eat if you know whats inside their bodies before you get them. Our pasture has been sprayed with pesticide for West Nile Mosquitos my horses grazed the pasture before they said they were spraying the entire county-they do it every two weeks, so pesticides, chemicals, medications all FDA banned from animals for consumption will go into the meat you feed your children and grandkids-be careful before you speak
Ok so here's the whole picture. Horse meat is dangerous and since the World War two era and into the 1970's rarely were horses drugged at the rate they are today. We use vaccines that are not in used in animals for food sources and ARE lethal to humans-veterinarians decided that they were safe in certain circumstances-so would you want a veterinarian unlicenced in the interaction of horse medications telling you its safe. Let me tell you what horses are gettting slaughter with in their system-Horses with Lepto spirosa that is highly contagious and the Center for Disease Control mandates in serious cases the animals euthanised and cremated. Hepatitis which can and does kill people is in alot of horses slaughtered also needed destroyed by CDC requirements, HYPP-paralysis we do not even know how ingesting it would affect humans-EPM, AIE (like madcow quaranteen and disposal not sent for food. Lethal drugs,vaccines, dewormers that are KNOWN to kill dogs and small animals are given to horses every 3 months and the animals that race are injected with legal and illegal drugs show horses are given nerve deadening injections to compete, cortizol, cortizone, bute( phenybutozone-can be lethal in humans is lethal to dogs) which can cause blood disorders and deaths in humans, increased heart rate, and several other health conditions such as encephylitis and West Nile. We only test for one item bute. I dont want a veterinarian deciding what will kill my children if they eat it-real studies by science and real studies by trained human physicians would be needed and they havent done any studies. All the USDA and federal information reports are from the 80's or older before these illnesses ran rampant and some recently discovered. The battery of medications we treat horses with, we FEED pesticides to the horses to kill flies, would you like to go to teminex and drink your dinner=,make it quicker. I give anti-inflammatories to my horses that state can be lethal in large doses and we give large doses prescribed by the doc-he said it could kill a human being. I have supplements with vitamins and minerals that includes super high doses of Iron, Magnesium, and Bute, MSM, and many other items known to be dangerous to people. Please we have to stop this-illegal and legal medications, dewormers and vaccines now in some areas are required by law to save the animals, keep the healthy, and get the most of their potential I have some 350 dangerous medications I have given to horses on a list that could kill people and these horses get large dosages, we need to keep them in good shape-you dont know what all the slaughter horses are given and no one farms horses for meat because the CDC would step because if the Coggins got into the herds it wipes out herds, along with strangles, and lepto spirosa which in horses no vaccine has been developed=its in testing stages. We cant afford the outbreaks that would occur naturally in the species. It's not like beef, these animals are sensitive to many diseases and require a healthy immune system and many of them do not have it because of many different factors-Export and Import should be stopped-the old data is not enough anymore. We need to protect each other and other countries. Please this is America sign a petition to stop slaughter-its killing us when we kill them! Please cattle growers protect your livelyhood by all means protect us! Sign at Change.Org Petition to Overturn the Legalization of Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption look for this one and sign! I am with no organization-I am a trainer-I dont want to die after dinner or bury my kids. Please speak up! No one deserves this! Also go to White House .Gov and sign the petition to stop this.
I grew up in a country where one could buy Horse steak instead of cow steak.. what's the difference? Since there is less fat in it (so it's healthier for you!) it is a littel healthier for you too. But it can be a littel tougher too because it has less fat. It was always a cheaper cut, but my mom could fix a large roast and brown it slowly in butter and it was great. I do think people should be allowed to know what they are buying though, cowbeef or horsebeef (meat).
You grew up in a country that allowed it-this is here USA now-we have things in horses now never invented or needed a cure 5 years ago. Take heed this is not well thought out see my explanation above.
China has a very poor record of hygene in their food industries. Unless it says grown in the USA or some other country I trust I don't buy it.
When I see packaging that says 100% beef I expect it to be that. The American meat producers do not have a great record of supplying pure whole safe food. We have had many products pulled from the shelves for contamination of foreign contaminates from e coli to salmonella. Because they try to maximize profits and reduce costs, I don't put it beyond them using other meats beside all beef. They have been known to use additives (pink slime) in meats as well as pork and other meats in beef at one time or another. They say they want to regulate themselves but they have shown that they can't over and over again when we see recalls of vegetables, peanut butter and other food products. The Federal Department of Agriculture has admitted they do not test for cross mixing of meats labeled as 100%. Have we not learned that business can't be trusted regulating themselves and in food they are possibly killing their customers. To these companies having people become sick or die is only a cost of doing business. With selling such important products as the countries food we need absolute independent checks on the safety of our food.
Well I bet it is big right wing greedy corps,that are serving up this meat,,,
Well if they feed you contaminated meats the corps as you call them win-because they supply us with the pharmacuticals they own, they have us go to the hospitals they own and then we go to the funeral homes they probably run! So from your plate to your last breathe! Sign the petition to stop slaughter at and also the one at Change.Org that under the heading Petition to Overturn the Legalization of Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption. We have to stand up and save ourselves.
Im in ,,
I sense the dirty hand of the jew.
Who needs horse meat when we're already serving toxic cow meats. If you go to any market today to purchase hamburgers, most are 50% fat and 50% old and polluted meat. And that's just the beginning, fish, chicken, and pigs are being force fed toxic waste that only adds pounds but absolutely no nourishment. The scary part is that our fruits and veggies are also on the same path of destruction. Before long, "Soylent Green" may be the food of choice.
Americans do not understand or know what goes on around them anyways, who pulls the real strings. Out of sight, out of mind right?
Would you like hay, oats and a slice of apple with your burger?