Horse meat found in patties

JILL LAWLESS | The Associated Press • Published January 25, 2013 Modified January 24, 2013

0 comments

LONDON – British and Irish burger fans could face a Whopper shortage. Burger King has stopped buying beef from an Irish meat processor whose patties were found to contain traces of horse meat.

The fast food chain said Thursday it had dropped Silvercrest Foods as a supplier for its U.K. and Ireland restaurants as a “voluntary and precautionary measure.”

Last week Silvercrest, which is owned by ABP Food Group, shut down its production line and recalled 10 million burgers from supermarket shelves in Britain and Ireland after horse DNA was found in some beef products.

Burger King said the decision to drop the supplier “may mean that some of our products are temporarily unavailable.” It stressed that “this is not a food safety issue.”

Similar stories:

Dutch arrest meat works owner in horse meat probe

Dutch arrest meat works owner in horse meat probe

Dutch authorities on Thursday arrested the director of a meat-processing and wholesale company whose business is at the center of an investigation into undeclared mixing of horse meat with beef.
EU nations seek more testing in meat scandal

EU nations seek more testing in meat scandal

European Union nations on Wednesday called for more intensive testing for a month to try to contain the scandal in which horse meat was sold as beef.
Ikea finds horse meat in wiener sausages

Ikea finds horse meat in wiener sausages

After withdrawing meatballs from stores across Europe, home furnishings company Ikea said Wednesday its own tests confirmed “a few indications of horse meat” and that it would also remove wiener sausages made by the same supplier.
BOO: Horse meat

BOO: Horse meat

There were more than 3,200 horses and ponies in Thurston County, according to the 2009 Thurston County Farmland Inventory.
Big Beef: Beef’s raw edges

Big Beef: Beef’s raw edges

The Kansas City Star investigated what the industry calls “bladed” or “needled” beef, and found the process exposes Americans to a higher risk of E. coli poisoning. While exact figures are difficult to come by, USDA surveys show that more than 90 percent of beef producers are using it.