肉类污染meat contamination.doc

11 February 2013 Last updated at 12:41 GMT QA: Meat contamination The government has said that all processed beef products on sale in the UK are safe to eat despite up to 100% horsemeat being found in some Aldi and Findus products, which were removed from shelves last week. It follows the discovery of horsemeat in some burgers. Should I throw away the meat I have bought if I suspect it might be horsemeat? Horsemeat itself should be no more dangerous than beef and is eaten in many countries around the world. But the UKs Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ordered tests to make sure a drug given to horses which is dangerous when used by humans - known as bute (phenylbutazone) - has not entered the food chain. Decades ago it was used as a treatment for gout and arthritis, but it caused a serious blood disorder, aplastic anaemia, in rare cases. While it was banned for human use, it is still used for animals. However, it is not allowed to enter the human food chain. If people have any of the affected meals lurking in their freezer, they are advised to return them to the store they were purchased from. The UKs Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has stressed that nothing seen so far presented a health risk and that he would have no hesitation at all about eating recalled products. The government has advised people to carry on with their normal shopping habits unless told otherwise. How widespread is the problem? Food retailers in the UK have been told to carry out tests on all processed beef products after some Findus lasagne as well as some Aldi lasagne and spaghetti bolognese - all made by the Comigel food processing company in France - were found to contain up to 100% horsemeat. Findus has also withdrawn ready meals in France and Sweden. In France, where seven supermarket chains have withdrawn all frozen beef meals made by Findus and Comigel, an initial investigation has found that horsemeat sold as beef originated from Romanian slaughterhouses, before being sold to a