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| Food Standards Agency calls contamination meeting | Food Standards Agency calls contamination meeting |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Food Standards Agency will meet suppliers and retailers later to discuss how to prevent contaminated food entering the supply chain. | The Food Standards Agency will meet suppliers and retailers later to discuss how to prevent contaminated food entering the supply chain. |
| It follows recent cases of pork being found in halal products for prisoners and horsemeat in supermarket burgers. | It follows recent cases of pork being found in halal products for prisoners and horsemeat in supermarket burgers. |
| The firm which supplied contaminated halal food has been named as Northern Ireland-based McColgan Quality Foods. | The firm which supplied contaminated halal food has been named as Northern Ireland-based McColgan Quality Foods. |
| The Commons environment committee chairman told the BBC the recent cases could be just the tip of the iceberg. | The Commons environment committee chairman told the BBC the recent cases could be just the tip of the iceberg. |
| Conservative MP Anne McIntosh has also questioned whether the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is fit for purpose. | Conservative MP Anne McIntosh has also questioned whether the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is fit for purpose. |
| "The evidence we've heard, it doesn't really sound as if the FSA has got a grip on this whole scandal," she told BBC Radio 5 live. | "The evidence we've heard, it doesn't really sound as if the FSA has got a grip on this whole scandal," she told BBC Radio 5 live. |
| The horsemeat in burgers had been discovered by the authorities in the Irish Republic, while the FSA had not found one incident of cross-contamination, she added. | The horsemeat in burgers had been discovered by the authorities in the Irish Republic, while the FSA had not found one incident of cross-contamination, she added. |
| The FSA is investigating whether the contaminated products were distributed more widely across the UK. | The FSA is investigating whether the contaminated products were distributed more widely across the UK. |
| Steve Wearne, a director at the FSA, said it had called an urgent meeting "of a range of suppliers" on Monday where it would "stress again the responsibility of all food businesses to ensure the food that they sell contains what it says on the label". | Steve Wearne, a director at the FSA, said it had called an urgent meeting "of a range of suppliers" on Monday where it would "stress again the responsibility of all food businesses to ensure the food that they sell contains what it says on the label". |
| The FSA tested almost 80,000 samples of food last year, he told the BBC. | The FSA tested almost 80,000 samples of food last year, he told the BBC. |
| "We focus on those risks that can make people ill or worse. So we look for arsenic, listeria and other things that can make you ill," he said. | "We focus on those risks that can make people ill or worse. So we look for arsenic, listeria and other things that can make you ill," he said. |
| Frozen burgers | Frozen burgers |
| On Sunday, McColgan Quality Foods Limited, based in County Tyrone, was named as the company that supplied halal food found to contain traces of pork DNA to prisons. | On Sunday, McColgan Quality Foods Limited, based in County Tyrone, was named as the company that supplied halal food found to contain traces of pork DNA to prisons. |
| Food distributor 3663 said McColgan's was the source of "the very small number of halal savoury beef pastry products" and all halal products from this firm had been withdrawn. | Food distributor 3663 said McColgan's was the source of "the very small number of halal savoury beef pastry products" and all halal products from this firm had been withdrawn. |
| McColgan's said it was co-operating with the FSA. | McColgan's said it was co-operating with the FSA. |
| Under Islamic law, Muslims are required to eat halal food - and eating pork is strictly forbidden. | Under Islamic law, Muslims are required to eat halal food - and eating pork is strictly forbidden. |
| Halal meat is defined as meat slaughtered by hand and blessed by the person doing the killing, however some Muslims believe mechanised forms of slaughter are also now acceptable. | Halal meat is defined as meat slaughtered by hand and blessed by the person doing the killing, however some Muslims believe mechanised forms of slaughter are also now acceptable. |
| Tests were carried out by food firm 3663 after McColgan's name appeared on a report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) following an investigation which discovered horsemeat in some frozen burgers. | Tests were carried out by food firm 3663 after McColgan's name appeared on a report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) following an investigation which discovered horsemeat in some frozen burgers. |
| Last month, horsemeat was discovered in beef burgers, which were on sale in several major supermarket chains in the UK and Ireland. | Last month, horsemeat was discovered in beef burgers, which were on sale in several major supermarket chains in the UK and Ireland. |
| The meat was processed at the Silvercrest plant in County Monaghan and the Irish authorities have said the horse offcuts were contained in a frozen block of filler product imported from Poland. The Polish supplier was used by the firm for about 12 months. | The meat was processed at the Silvercrest plant in County Monaghan and the Irish authorities have said the horse offcuts were contained in a frozen block of filler product imported from Poland. The Polish supplier was used by the firm for about 12 months. |
| Independent food safety expert Dr Slim Dinsdale told the BBC the British food industry was one of the best regulated, despite these problems. | Independent food safety expert Dr Slim Dinsdale told the BBC the British food industry was one of the best regulated, despite these problems. |