Britons give horsemeat a try as scandal piques interest

LONDON – With the ongoing scandal over the discovery of horsemeat in beef burgers and prepared meals apparently piquing the curiosity of some shoppers, specialty meat suppliers in Britain have seen a surge in sales of horse burgers.

Viewed as a delicacy in South America, east Asia and in some European countries, horsemeat is generally not eaten in Britain where a horse loving public has traditionally viewed the idea of consuming it with distaste.

The discovery of horse DNA in beef burgers and spaghetti bolognese sold by Britain's retailers, including market leader Tesco, and in beef lasagna made by frozen foods group Findus, has drawn widespread condemnation, with government ministers blaming an "international criminal conspiracy."

The scandal, which began in Ireland when its food safety authority discovered horsemeat in frozen beef burgers, is affecting a growing number of European countries and retailers and has grown considerably during the last three weeks. On Sunday, French supermarkets pulled several products supplied by Findus and Comigel. Tesco said it had found horse DNA exceeding 60 percent in some of its own-brand frozen spaghetti bolognese meals withdrawn from stores last week.

Both France and Britain have said the mislabeling was a result of criminal attempts to defraud customers and they will punish those responsible.

British and European Union officials will try to work out on Wednesday how to contain a scandal over horsemeat sold as beef which has shocked consumers and exposed flaws in European systems of food safety control.

The revelations raised questions about the food supply chain and prompted governments to send out an EU-wide alert.

Owen Paterson, Britain's Environment Secretary, told parliament on Tuesday he would meet EU officials in Brussels on Wednesday to work out an action plan.

CURIOUS EATERS

However, extensive media coverage of the Europe-wide scandal and an outbreak of horse jokes on twitter, e-mail and texts has also sparked interest in the consumption of horsemeat and other even more adventurous meats.

"While people are putting horse into their shopping cart on the website they are also putting in things like zebra, llama and alpaca," said Paul Webb, director of central England-based specialty meat supplier Exotic Meats.

Horsemeat, which has a sweet, gamey flavor, is cheaper and healthier than beef, containing half the fat and more Omega 3. It’s also high in protein and iron.

Though none of Britain's supermarkets sell horsemeat, it is available through specialty meat suppliers and is on the menu of a few notable restaurants, such as L'escargot Bleu in Edinburgh. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has also heralded it.

Exotic Meats has seen sales of horsemeat burgers, steaks and mince increase ten-fold since the scandal erupted on Jan. 15.

"People are inquisitive, intrigued by what it tastes like," said Webb, noting horsemeat products were proving popular for dinner party hosts who wanted to provide "a good talking point."

Exotic Meats' horsemeat is sourced from either France, Spain or Italy and processed in Britain by an European Union-approved plant.

Last week in response to the Findus scandal the firm posted on its website a recipe for horsemeat lasagna.

RIGHT TO EAT

Berwickshire, Scotland-based Kezie Foods, which sells horsemeat products alongside elk, kangaroo and crocodile, has seen horsemeat sales double over the last three weeks, with strong demand from restaurants as well as individuals.

"Whenever you have issues to do with alternative meats you either have people who decide that's not for them or people who want to exercise their right to eat whatever they choose to eat," said director Walter Murray.

For some the idea of eating horse remains abhorrent.

"For many horse owners, eating horsemeat is as repulsive a concept as eating cat or dog," said Victoria Spicer, editor of Horse & Country TV. "The horse has been an integral part of Britain's history and culture, and we owe our equine friends much more than this."

The British Retail Consortium, whose members represent 80 percent of the UK retail industry, said although there was no evidence of consumers avoiding beef they were being more selective in beef burger purchases, with more interest in fresh burgers rather than frozen ones.

"What we're hearing from our members is that there hasn't been any drastic change in customers' buying patterns as a result of any of this because they're clear that this is not a safety issue," said a BRC spokesman.

However, independent butchers said they have seen an upturn in recent trade.

"Independent butchers are experiencing greater footfall at the present time," said Roger Kelsey, CEO of the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders, which represents Britain's traditional high-street butchers.

"That's basically because in the eyes of the general public local traders are a better source of supply, due to their on-site controls, because they tend to source product from local sources and they produce their own products on site."

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