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Horsemeat scandal: Welsh firm recalls burgers after tests show illicit meat Horsemeat scandal: Welsh firm recalls burgers after tests show illicit meat
(about 20 hours later)
Beefburgers made by the Burger Manufacturing Company in Powys, Wales, are being withdrawn from cafes, restaurants, hotels and other outlets as well as wholesalers after three of nine samples ordered by the Food Standards Agency tested positive for at least 1% horsemeat.
Thousands of beef burgers made by the Burger Manufacturing Company in Powys, Wales, are being withdrawn from cafes, restaurant, hotels and other outlets as well as wholesalers after three of nine samples ordered by the Food Standards Agency tested positive for at least 1% horsemeat. Much of the meat used by the company was supplied by Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, which was raided by police and FSA officials investigating the horsemeat scandal on Tuesday last week.
Much of the meat used by the company was supplied by Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, which was raided by police and FSA officials investigating the horsemeat scandal on Tuesday last week. Two men who worked at Farmbox were arrested on Thursday last week. The latest burger withdrawal from wholesalers and caterers coincided with evidence that some supermarkets have raised prices on meat-free products.
The FSA said: "Testing carried out by Powys county council, as requested by the FSA, has shown that three samples of beef burger products made by catering supplier, The Burger Manufacturing Company [BMC], have tested positive for at least 1% horse meat. Asda accused rivals of seeking to benefit from consumers' switching from meat.
"Further work is being carried out to establish exactly how much horse meat these products contain and to test for the presence of the veterinary medicine phenylbutazone, also known as bute. Labour, meanwhile, stepped up pressure on the government to speed up checks for horse adulteration in beef products used by caterers, including those supplying schools and hospitals.
"In line with good practice, BMC is withdrawing these products and is contacting its customers to inform them of the results of these tests and to recall any of the affected products that they may have." The FSA said further work was being carried out to establish exactly how much horsemeat the BMC products contained and to test for the presence of the veterinary medicine phenylbutazone, also known as bute.
Mark Cornall, sales and marketing manager for BMC, in Builth Wells, said the firm was withdrawing all products using Farmbox meat. Only its Kobe style and Aberdeen Angus beef lines were unaffected, along with its vegetarian burgers. BMC customers included one of the biggest frozen food distributors in London, Sparks Catering. Mark Cornall, sales and marketing manager for BMC, in Builth Wells, said the firm was withdrawing all products using Farmbox meat.
"Every box of burgers delivered before 13 February is in quarantine" said Cornall, whose plant was still manufacturing burgers using other beef suppliers. Customers are being sent new stock. "We are absolutely devastated. We have been market leaders when it comes to quality," Cornall said: "If we survive is questionable at the moment."
"We are absolutely devastated. We have been market leaders when it comes to quality. If we survive is questionable at the moment." The average price of Tesco's meat-free products, including meat-free burgers and lasagnes, rose from £2.45 before the scandal first broke to £2.61 days later, after tests by Irish authorities meant they became one of the first supermarkets shown to have burgers with horse DNA.
His firm employed 27 staff, but had been planning a new £2.5m factory and to increase its workforce to 35. A Tesco spokeswoman explained half-price promotions had come to an end and there had been price increases from suppliers.
The figures emerged as Asda boss Andy Clarke accused rival supermarkets – without naming Tesco – of cashing in on the scandal, claiming some had increased the price of meat-free meals.
"Consumers are switching, so vegetarian meals and meat-free products have taken a lift."
Mary Creagh, Labour's food and environment spokeswoman, has written to Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, expressing concern at an apparent two-speed approach to testing, with supermarkets generally reporting more quickly than catering companies and others.