Horse meat scandal

[stumpski]

It seems this one will run and run, unlike the horses in question ...

Horsemeat Legal Action Starts In Europe - Yahoo! News UK

Any thoughts? Obviously, leaving aside the amount of salt, sugar and fat known to be present in so-called 'ready meals' if the packet says 'beef lasagne' then clearly that's what should be in it. Any substitution of another meat is fraud and false representation. However, if I enjoyed a meal and then found out it was horse, I wouldn't necessarily avoid getting it again. Horsemeat is sold openly and consumed in many parts of Europe after all. I would draw the line at Shetland ponies though.

 

[MrPrez]

Haven't read the article as I'm too tired but a few points:

1)If it was labelled as beef and it was actually horsemeat, they should sue the asses off of the producers.
2)I wouldn't eat horse, period.

 

[Howe_zat]

I still don't really get how people make a profit out of doing this. Surely horse meat is going to be more expensive than beef, especially the leftovers you expect to get in the cheap and cheerful packets?

As to the issue it wouldn't bother me to discover I'd just eaten horse if you took me to France and cooked me a steak, but in this situation it's what else I din't know was in it that'd be unsettling. Illegal fake meat doesn't strike me as likely to be clean or stored properly.

 

[smalishah84]

It seems this one will run and run, unlike the horses in question ...

Horsemeat Legal Action Starts In Europe - Yahoo! News UK

Any thoughts? Obviously, leaving aside the amount of salt, sugar and fat known to be present in so-called 'ready meals' if the packet says 'beef lasagne' then clearly that's what should be in it. Any substitution of another meat is fraud and false representation. However, if I enjoyed a meal and then found out it was horse, I wouldn't necessarily avoid getting it again. Horsemeat is sold openly and consumed in many parts of Europe after all. I would draw the line at Shetland ponies though.

What utter horse ****

 

[stumpski]

Gives a new meaning to "you're having a 'mare"

 

[silentstriker]

If this happened in the US, it might actually entice me to eat at Burger King for once. Haven't been there in probably a decade.

What's the big deal? It probably tasted better anyway, and likely much healthier for you too. I've had it a few times - it was pretty good (though never had it in a burger).

Anyway, much ado about nothing. Fair enough it should have been labeled as people should know what they are eating so I get that, but even then, how much do you really know about what goes into your food at fast food places? Not much harm done as far as I'm concerned.

Now if people got sick or something like that, it's fair enough to get damages.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

I guess eating horse meat isn't that much of a big deal but it needs to say horse meat on the label.

 

[sledger]

I don't think whether or not it's harmful is the issue really. I mean, sure, if it was making people sick then it'd be a lot more serious. But it's understandable for people to have a reasonable expectation that they are eating what it says on the label and so on.

Reminds me a bit of the GM foods debate. There might not be any empirical evidence which suggests its harmful, but if people object to eating it for moral, or other, reasons, I don't think their objections should be any less valid. I wouldn't give a crap about eating horse meat or GM products quite honestly, but I can see why other people might, and think their views ought to be respected.

 

[silentstriker]

I guess eating horse meat isn't that much of a big deal but it needs to say horse meat on the label.

I don't think whether or not it's harmful is the issue really. I mean, sure, if it was making people sick then it'd be a lot more serious. But it's understandable for people to have a reasonable expectation that they are eating what it says on the label and so on.

Reminds me a bit of the GM foods debate. There might not be any empirical evidence which suggests its harmful, but if people object to eating it for moral, or other, reasons, I don't think their objections should be any less valid. I wouldn't give a crap about eating horse meat or GM products quite honestly, but I can see why other people might, and think their views ought to be respected.

Well I was speaking in relation to the uproar it caused - it wasn't really harmful so why the big uproad (news story in the US too). The uproar would be something that might be reserved for contaminated meat that caused massive ecoli outbreaks.

I agree that it should have been labeled, and it's fair enough that people have a right to know (for whatever reason). I've no problem with it being a story because of that - I just find it funny how big of a story it is considering there's probably a lot of things in fast food that actually most likely causes actual harm and people don't care or have any idea about.

I disagree re: GM food labeling, though, but that's a different argument.

 

[cpr]

Whilst some may accept eating horsemeat as acceptable, one of the biggest hurdles Tesco and the like will face is convincing people its actually safe to eat. The maine problem is the drugs/treatment the horse has had, because it wasn't treated the same as meat labelled for human consumption, no-one knows if the drugs the animal was given are stable enough for human ingestion. Naturally, people remember the BSE episode, and I'm sure the British beef industry doesnt want to be saddled with a similar situation, especially when the blinkered view of the EU dragged on the suffering for many years. It took 10 years to lift the ban last time, and for British beef, Europe is still a rather newmarket for them.

Of course, it all depends on how the media play it. If they do decide that playing this up for sales may have a detrimental effect, then so long as they can find another topic to have a grand national debate over, the whole 'dilemma' may just tail off.

 

[Top_Cat]

It don't think it's horse meat that's the problem, per se. It's that the handling of horse meat, usually reserved for pets, has much lower standards associated with it. The potential for Something Bad Happened is therefore much greater. Why wait until someone gets sick? This definitely has the potential to be a very bad thing.

EDIT: Unless they irradiate the **** out of the meat before it ends up in a Maggi Lasagne, I guess. Not a virologist but I don't think there are pathogens which are present in horse meat that would survive that any more than in cow's meat,

 

[Top_Cat]

Whilst some may accept eating horsemeat as acceptable, one of the biggest hurdles Tesco and the like will face is convincing people its actually safe to eat. The maine problem is the drugs/treatment the horse has had, because it wasn't treated the same as meat labelled for human consumption, no-one knows if the drugs the animal was given are stable enough for human ingestion. Naturally, people remember the BSE episode, and I'm sure the British beef industry doesnt want to be saddled with a similar situation, especially when the blinkered view of the EU dragged on the suffering for many years. It took 10 years to lift the ban last time, and for British beef, Europe is still a rather newmarket for them.

Of course, it all depends on how the media play it. If they do decide that playing this up for sales may have a detrimental effect, then so long as they can find another topic to have a grand national debate over, the whole 'dilemma' may just tail off.

*mane

You're right on the legal pun threshold, tbh. Watch yourself, the penalties can be quite steeplechase.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Just had my first crap since the Findus horse meat scandal. It was good to firm and soft in places.

 

[uvelocity]

would I like to eat horse? neigh

 

[BoyBrumby]

Apparently now Findus have withdrawn their products because of public concern about possible horse meat contamination.

Shame really, I always liked their spaghetti bologneighs.

 

[sledger]

Was more a fan of their Horse D'oevres tbh.

 

[Howe_zat]

Spot the bloke who's never had a Findus dinner before

 

[smalishah84]

would I like to eat horse? neigh

 

[Smudge]

If I can be frankel with you all, I wouldn't eat horse even if it tasted like black caviar. Maybe it would be palatable if I washed it down with some red rum, but too much of that and I would sea the stars the next day.

 

[benchmark00]

Chris Lynn laying low.