"Horse meat scandal" affects 16 countries in Europe shoddy Mongolian customer links difficult to clarify

On the evening of February 13, the European Union's agriculture minister convened an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss the "horse meat Scandal". The Ministers of Agriculture of France, Britain, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania and Poland, which are affected by this incident, will discuss the issue. As of press, the meeting was still in progress. The EU's rotating presidency of Ireland 12th said that, in addition to the meeting, this month 23rd will also convene a larger EU agricultural ministers, to continue discussions on this issue. Beef burger found horse meat January 15, the Irish Food Safety agency announced in a routine food inspection, some British and Irish production of beef burgers containing horse meat. As the situation expanded, it was found that some frozen foods, such as beef-end spaghetti, sold in supermarkets such as Tesco, included 60% to 100% of horse meat. British media said the suppliers of the problem meat were Findes, the largest frozen food processing company headquartered in Europe, and the manufacturer was a company based in northeastern France. In early February, the British frozen food group advised supermarkets to recall some processed beef products. 12th, French frozen food production distributor Picard announced that the company 6th in the shelves of two pieces of Picard brand beef pies detection of horse meat. The French General Directorate of Competition, Consumer affairs and anti-fraud 11th raided two French business headquarters involved in the incident. "Horse meat Scandal" has stepped out of the British, becoming the hottest topic in continental Europe, consumers are worried about what they eat. At present, the United Kingdom has asked all food retailers to investigate all processed beef products and to submit preliminary findings by 15th. Britain's Minister of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Paterson, warned that the findings could be "worse". How can the horse meat be changed into beef so how did the horse meat change and add to the beef food? Take the frozen Italian lasagna and hamburger in a British supermarket for example: The food was produced by the same food maker in northeastern France, where French food dealers appointed a food factory in Luxembourg after taking orders from supermarkets. The food factory then ordered beef from a meat factory in southern France. The French meat-eating plant has instead contracted the beef orders to a Cypriot subcontractor. Cypriot merchants went on to find a Dutch trading company to purchase, and the Dutch trading company contacted a Romanian slaughterhouse to buy beef. In this way, the meat of the Romanian slaughterhouse was eventually processed into a hamburger, pasta and other beef food. Similar cases have been seen in Polish slaughterhouses and other food factories. There are reports that as many as 16 countries in the EU may have similar cases of horse meat posing as beef. All suppliers and producers now claim to be "victims", pushing responsibility to upstream or downstream companies and suppliers, and at the level of accusations, Romania becomes the "culprit". But the Romanian prime Minister said at a news conference 11th, "according to all the data we know, there is no violation of EU regulations in Romania," Romania has neverMeat is sold as beef and there is no deliberate impersonation or fraud. In this connection, the European Commission Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Tonio Berg 11th said "all the companies in the country are suspected", but at this stage it is unfair to point the finger at either side. Deliberately concealed or accidentally lost although the British Food Standards Agency and other departments have told the public through the media, "horse meat scandal" has not endangered food safety, but this involves the public deception, so that the vast number of consumers difficult to accept. In addition, the beginning of the incident also found that pork served as beef mixed with halal food, and more aroused the anger of religious people. Some media believe that horse meat in some EU countries relatively cheap, so some suppliers to beef horse meat labels, so as to fill the remaining squeezed profits. And because the EU food production chain is relatively complex, but also make the outlaws. The Irish police are investigating whether the "horse meat burger" case is a deliberate fraud or a wrong label. Authorities in Romania and Poland have also launched a survey of the horse meat slaughterhouse. "The horse meat scandal is absolutely unacceptable and British consumers should buy a veritable product," says Patterson. There is growing evidence that there is an international crime problem behind the incident. Berg said 13th that authorities are investigating the origins of the horse's meat with a multinational authority. (Brussels, February 13)