FSA: One Percent of Tested UK Beef Products Test Positive for Horse DNA

The 29 positive results all relate to seven products that have already been reported and where the food business and the FSA have already taken appropriate action to remove the products from sale and notify consumers. The FSA has been working with trade bodies in the food industry to collate these results as quickly as possible, to get an accurate picture of the testing being carried out across the UK food chain.

18 Feb 2013 --- The UK Food Standards Agency has published the first set of industry results from beef products that have been tested for the presence of horse DNA.

As of 10.00 am on 15 February, the FSA has received the following information:
• Total results: 2501
• 2472 of these (almost 99%) were negative for the presence of horse DNA at or above the level of 1%
• 29 samples, relating to seven products, were positive for the presence of undeclared horse meat at or above a level of 1%
• At least 950 tests are still in progress

The 29 positive results all relate to seven products that have already been reported and where the food business and the FSA have already taken appropriate action to remove the products from sale and notify consumers.

The FSA has been working with trade bodies in the food industry to collate these results as quickly as possible, to get an accurate picture of the testing being carried out across the UK food chain.

This testing follows the statement by FSA Chief Executive Catherine Brown earlier in the month, where she announced that the food industry had been instructed to conduct authenticity tests on their composite beef products, such as burgers, lasagnes and meatballs, in light of the recent horse meat issue.

The samples were carried out on both raw ingredients and final products, and taken from a range of manufacturers, catering suppliers, wholesalers, producers and retailers across the UK.

Where products have been found to contain horse DNA, they have been tested for the presence of veterinary drug phenylbutazone, known as bute. All of the tests for bute have come back negative.

Announcing the results, FSA Chief Executive Catherine Brown said: ‘Since this incident began on 16 January, businesses have been carrying out a large number of tests. We said that industry should share those results with us, and the public, and we asked for the first results to be with us today. The results so far date from when businesses began their testing four weeks ago. They include results which were received by companies up to around 10am this morning.

‘It’s encouraging that we have received so many results from industry so quickly, which reaffirms their commitment to working with us to address the serious issue of consumer confidence in the UK food supply.

‘More important for consumers, it shows that in the vast majority of cases the results so far are showing that no horse DNA is present in the foods tested. But this is still far from the full picture and we expect industry to continue to supply us with regular updates on their testing regime.

‘We’ve asked industry to test for horse DNA down to a level of 1%. There are two reasons for this. First, that’s a pragmatic level above which we think any contamination would be due to either gross incompetence or deliberate fraud; it’s not going to be accidental. Second, some laboratories can only test accurately down to a level of 1%.

‘But that does not mean that we’re not concerned with, or that we accept, levels below 1%. In terms of faith groups, there remains a significant issue about trace levels of other species below 1%. So we have a separate programme of work under way with Defra to look at the issues around that, too.

‘Further results are expected over the coming weeks and the FSA will publish another update this time next week.’

A full list of all the products that tested positive is available in table 2 in the PDF below. This information was provided to the FSA within the past 24 hours and will be subject to further scrutiny by the Agency.

The immediate focus was to test for the presence of horse DNA in minced or composite beef products. Priorities for businesses also include relevant beef products or ingredients that were sourced from outside their immediate controls.

In addition to these reporting arrangements, food businesses are obligated to immediately report to the FSA information or concerns of gross contamination or adulteration, including any samples confirmed as testing positive for undeclared horse meat.

Alongside this action by industry, the FSA has also instructed local authorities to carrying out testing of meat products, and checks and inspections of relevant meat plants and other food businesses across the UK. The results of this survey will be published in April.

A 1% threshold level (in DNA or meat) is being used for these tests, as a pragmatic level to determine gross contamination or adulteration of the product with an undeclared meat. A study of the scientific literature shows that typical DNA methods used and commercial primer kits available can confidently determine levels to the level of at least 1%. The onus is on any laboratory used by a food business to be able to individually verify and support the limit of detection for the test it carries out.

Testing is usually done in two stages, a qualitative screen to identify whether the target DNA or protein (eg horse) is present in the food. A second confirmatory analysis, for example by Real Time PCR or DNA sequencing, is then used to identify the presence of the target DNA and its levels.

Further to the arrests made yesterday in Wales and West Yorkshire in relation to suspected fraud, there have been seizures of evidence in Hull and London.

Following the Food Standards Agency’s publication of the first set of industry results from tests of beef products for the presence of horse DNA, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson issued the following statement:

“It’s wholly unacceptable that if people buy products marked beef, they turn out to be horsemeat. That’s why it was so important to undertake this intensive testing activity to gain a meaningful picture.

“My concern is for consumers. The news for them today is that the vast majority of products tested are completely clear of horse DNA.

“Food businesses now have a lot of work to do. They need to move quickly to complete these tests and they need to show their customers they’ve taken the right steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

British Retail Consortium Director General Helen Dickinson said: "Our members take their responsibilities to customers very seriously. We are extremely disappointed by recent events and understand consumers' concern.

"We have taken decisive, extensive action to deal with incidents since mid-January and worked round the clock to gather meaningful data quickly. These are confirmed results of completed tests. They show that retailers operate to high standards and customers are right to have confidence in them and what they sell.

"We have targeted the products most associated with the original incident, and conducted more than a thousand tests over three weeks. They show five products tested above the FSA's threshold. These are not new cases. All products testing positive for horsemeat above the FSA's threshold have already been notified to the FSA and the products withdrawn as soon as the information came to light.

"The retail sector is leading the food industry in working to understand what has happened, to ensure our systems are effective and to reassure consumers. Two thirds of the processed beef products retailers set out to test have already been tested but testing will continue and more results published.

"We already operate rigorous auditing to ensure confidence in what we buy from suppliers but this may not always pick up deliberate fraud. These events have shown the need for better information sharing across Europe. We will work with the FSA, Government and supply chains to improve intelligence and systems.

"The only people who really matter are consumers and they need to know that we are thinking about long term, effective solutions to the issues that have come to light. That's exactly what we are doing."

The news came as the Food Standards Agency announced that three individuals had been arrested by Dyfed-Powys Police on suspicion of fraud, as a result of the Agency's investigation into the use of horse meat in the food chain. This investigation is live and ongoing and the Agency will not be making any further comments regarding these arrests.

In addition, on Thursday morning FSA officers entered three premises in England with local authorities and the police; one was in Hull and two in Tottenham. Computers and documentary evidence have been removed from these premises, as well as meat samples that have been taken for testing.

The FSA has submitted a full file and evidence on this issue to Europol. The Agency has continued to provide information to Europol and this information has now been analysed by both Europol and law enforcement agencies in 35 countries – across Europe and elsewhere.