Meat products removed from schools

Feb 21 2013

A council has removed some meat products from school kitchens and other catering premises until investigations into horse meat tests are complete.

Renfrewshire Council said it was taking the step as a "precaution" after one of its suppliers recalled lasagne produced for another customer in order to test it for horse DNA.

No horse meat has been discovered in products supplied to the council.

A council spokesman said: "One of our suppliers, the Brakes Group, has found horse DNA in lasagne produced for another customer. An investigation is under way. No horse DNA has been found in any of the Brakes Group products supplied to Renfrewshire Council.

"While there is no risk to human health, we have removed some Brakes Group products from our catering premises as a precaution until the results of the investigation are known."

A statement from the company said the first batch of tests have proved negative for horse meat. It said: "Brakes can confirm that it has received the result of a DNA test for the Brakes-brand lasagne product it recalled as a precaution at the end of last week.

"The product has tested negative for horse meat DNA. We would like to apologise to customers who were inconvenienced but we felt that this was the most appropriate course of action at the time."

The scandal came to light last month when the Food Safety Authority of Ireland announced the discovery of equine DNA in some beef burgers.

The Holyrood Environment Secretary said it could be a watershed moment with positive consequences for consumers. "The horse meat scandal has undermined consumer trust in some parts of the food industry," Richard Lochhead told MSPs this week. "But it may be a watershed moment in how people think about food, and that could end up being a good thing."

Renfrewshire Council said its food suppliers are sourced through Scotland Excel, which deals with contracts on a national basis. North Lanarkshire Council said it disposed of 20 portions of Brakes lasagne last week after they were recalled by the catering firm and it is carrying out further checks on supplies. Other councils across the country have also tested products in the wake of the scandal.