Supermarkets to publish meat testing results
Major supermarkets have agreed to publish the results of their meat testing following the recent scandals where traces of horse meat were found in supermarket burgers and products served as halal in UK prisons were shown to contain traces of pig DNA.
The decision was taken at a meeting with The Food Standards Agency to address how testing can maintain consumer confidence in the accuracy of food labelling.
The meeting was attended by representatives from major supermarkets and suppliers as well as by Food and Farming Minister David Heath.
Catherine Brown, chief executive of the FSA, said: “I am pleased that we have been able to agree a way forward to maintain consumer confidence in the food that people eat. We need to move swiftly to get this work under way to reassure consumers.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Heath added: “This is a shared problem, and it needs shared solutions. Food businesses’ agreement to give regular updates on meat testing is a significant move that will give consumers confidence in what they’re buying. It’s now important that the industry starts sharing this information as soon as possible.”
The FSA and the food industry will now agree a standardised sampling and testing system which will meet accredited standards and test to an agreed level of DNA.
