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| Iceland boss blames councils over 'poor meat quality' | Iceland boss blames councils over 'poor meat quality' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Local councils are to blame for driving down food quality with cheap food contracts for schools and hospitals, the boss of Iceland has said. | Local councils are to blame for driving down food quality with cheap food contracts for schools and hospitals, the boss of Iceland has said. |
| Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Malcolm Walker said the "problem really lies" with councils buying food from the poorly supplied catering industry. | Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Malcolm Walker said the "problem really lies" with councils buying food from the poorly supplied catering industry. |
| Retailers should not be blamed for the horsemeat crisis, Mr Walker added. | Retailers should not be blamed for the horsemeat crisis, Mr Walker added. |
| His comments followed a call on Sunday from the boss of Waitrose for tighter meat testing controls. | His comments followed a call on Sunday from the boss of Waitrose for tighter meat testing controls. |
| Iceland was among UK retailers, including Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Aldi which withdrew products which were later found to test positive for horse DNA. | Iceland was among UK retailers, including Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Aldi which withdrew products which were later found to test positive for horse DNA. |
| 'Cheap food' | 'Cheap food' |
| After Iceland removed a line of quarter-pounder beefburgers last month, the North Wales-based firm said it "would be working closely with its suppliers" to ensure its products met "high standards of quality and integrity". | After Iceland removed a line of quarter-pounder beefburgers last month, the North Wales-based firm said it "would be working closely with its suppliers" to ensure its products met "high standards of quality and integrity". |
| Mr Walker told the BBC: "British supermarkets have got a fantastic reputation for food safety, they go to enormous lengths to protect their brand." | Mr Walker told the BBC: "British supermarkets have got a fantastic reputation for food safety, they go to enormous lengths to protect their brand." |
| And he insisted that supermarkets were already extremely transparent about food quality and testing. | And he insisted that supermarkets were already extremely transparent about food quality and testing. |
| "If we're going to blame somebody, let's start with local authorities because there's a whole side to this industry which is invisible - that's the catering industry. Schools, hospitals - it's massive business for cheap food and local authorities award contracts based purely on one thing - price." | |
| He added: "Iceland has never sold economy products - we do not sell cheap food. We have one brand of food, one level of food... we know where all our food comes from, we follow the supply chain right the way through and its very short. | He added: "Iceland has never sold economy products - we do not sell cheap food. We have one brand of food, one level of food... we know where all our food comes from, we follow the supply chain right the way through and its very short. |
| Supermarkets such as Iceland were not the real culprits in "driving down food quality", he said. | Supermarkets such as Iceland were not the real culprits in "driving down food quality", he said. |
| "Dodgy cutting houses and backstreet manufacturers have been supplying products to the catering industry and a lot of that is bought by local authorities for schools and hospitals - that's where the problem really lies." | "Dodgy cutting houses and backstreet manufacturers have been supplying products to the catering industry and a lot of that is bought by local authorities for schools and hospitals - that's where the problem really lies." |
| Ministers alerted | Ministers alerted |
| Waitrose also withdrew a number of products, and although none tested positive for horsemeat, some own-brand meatballs were found to contain traces of pork. | Waitrose also withdrew a number of products, and although none tested positive for horsemeat, some own-brand meatballs were found to contain traces of pork. |
| The company's managing director, Mark Price, said the John Lewis-owned firm would set up its own freezing plant to prevent cross contamination. | The company's managing director, Mark Price, said the John Lewis-owned firm would set up its own freezing plant to prevent cross contamination. |
| Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Price called on all those in the food industry to apply "renewed rigour" to their testing regimes. | Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Price called on all those in the food industry to apply "renewed rigour" to their testing regimes. |
| He said: "If something good comes of the current scandal, I hope it is the opening up of a debate around the true economics of food. | He said: "If something good comes of the current scandal, I hope it is the opening up of a debate around the true economics of food. |
| "The simple fact is that food cannot be seen as a cheap commodity when so many factors are working against that premise, including population growth." | "The simple fact is that food cannot be seen as a cheap commodity when so many factors are working against that premise, including population growth." |
| Meanwhile, a former Food Standards Agency manager has said he told ministers about horsemeat adulteration in 2011. | Meanwhile, a former Food Standards Agency manager has said he told ministers about horsemeat adulteration in 2011. |
| John Young told the Sunday Times he alerted the government to the potential scandal of horsemeat getting into the food chain. | John Young told the Sunday Times he alerted the government to the potential scandal of horsemeat getting into the food chain. |
| Mr Young, who until 2008 worked at the Meat Hygiene Service - then an executive agency of the FSA - says he alerted ministers to the potential scandal of illicit horsemeat with drug residues getting into human food, but was ignored. | Mr Young, who until 2008 worked at the Meat Hygiene Service - then an executive agency of the FSA - says he alerted ministers to the potential scandal of illicit horsemeat with drug residues getting into human food, but was ignored. |
| Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said he had spoken to the FSA's chief executive, Catherine Brown, regarding Mr Young's claims, which were made before he took up his position. | |
| "I have discussed it with the chief executive of the FSA this morning and she is going to go back through the records and see exactly what was said at the time," he told Sky News's Murnaghan programme. | |
| The FSA said it has submitted a "full file" on its horsemeat investigation to Europol - the EU's law enforcement agency - and the information is being analysed in 35 countries, in Europe and elsewhere. | |
| On Friday, Ms Brown said the agency had not brought any of its own prosecutions so far, but she did not rule out future legal action. | |
| Three men, from Dyfed and West Yorkshire, have been arrested and bailed as part of the horsemeat probe. | |
| Separately, FSA officers and police took computers, documents and meat samples from two premises in north London and one in Hull on Friday. | |
CLICKABLE 8. Processors1. Comigel: Food processor3. Spanghero: Meat processor2. Tavola: Factory4. Subcontractor5. Trader6. Abattoirs7. Supermarkets French food producer makes order | CLICKABLE 8. Processors1. Comigel: Food processor3. Spanghero: Meat processor2. Tavola: Factory4. Subcontractor5. Trader6. Abattoirs7. Supermarkets French food producer makes order |
| Comigel HQ in Metz, north-east France, asks its subsidiary, Tavola in Luxembourg, to make food products - including beef lasagne for Findus. | Comigel HQ in Metz, north-east France, asks its subsidiary, Tavola in Luxembourg, to make food products - including beef lasagne for Findus. |
Factory orders meat | Factory orders meat |
| The Tavola factory orders the meat from Spanghero in the south of France. | The Tavola factory orders the meat from Spanghero in the south of France. |
Subcontractor used | Subcontractor used |
| Spanghero contacts a subcontractor in Cyprus to source the meat. | Spanghero contacts a subcontractor in Cyprus to source the meat. |
Subcontractor enlists trader | Subcontractor enlists trader |
| The Cypriot subcontractor in turn contacts a trader in the Netherlands. | The Cypriot subcontractor in turn contacts a trader in the Netherlands. |
Trader orders from Romania | Trader orders from Romania |
| The trader in the Netherlands places an order for meat with abattoirs in Romania. | The trader in the Netherlands places an order for meat with abattoirs in Romania. |
Abattoirs send meat to France | Abattoirs send meat to France |
| The meat from the abattoirs travels to Spanghero in France. However, Romania rejects claims that it was responsible for wrongly describing the horsemeat from its abattoirs as beef. Horsemeat is always labelled as such, they say. The Romanian authorities claim records show orders had been for horse carcass - easily distinguishable from beef. | The meat from the abattoirs travels to Spanghero in France. However, Romania rejects claims that it was responsible for wrongly describing the horsemeat from its abattoirs as beef. Horsemeat is always labelled as such, they say. The Romanian authorities claim records show orders had been for horse carcass - easily distinguishable from beef. |
Meat used to make products | Meat used to make products |
| Spanghero sends the meat to the Comigel subsidiary’s factory in Luxembourg before the finished products are supplied to Findus and retailers across Europe, including the UK. The president of Comigel says the company was unaware the meat was coming from abroad. | Spanghero sends the meat to the Comigel subsidiary’s factory in Luxembourg before the finished products are supplied to Findus and retailers across Europe, including the UK. The president of Comigel says the company was unaware the meat was coming from abroad. |
Horsemeat found in Ireland and UK | Horsemeat found in Ireland and UK |
| Tests by Irish authorities have found equine DNA in beefburgers made by firms in the Irish Republic and the UK. Traces of horsemeat have also been found in stored meat at another plant in Ireland and one in Northern Ireland. In mainland Britain, police and officials probing alleged horsemeat mislabelling have carried out raids at a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth. Three men were later arrested on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act.. | Tests by Irish authorities have found equine DNA in beefburgers made by firms in the Irish Republic and the UK. Traces of horsemeat have also been found in stored meat at another plant in Ireland and one in Northern Ireland. In mainland Britain, police and officials probing alleged horsemeat mislabelling have carried out raids at a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire and a meat firm near Aberystwyth. Three men were later arrested on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act.. |