The horse meat scandal has now hit home

Let's face it though, we have no idea how long this has been going on for, and there's a real chance that all of us have eaten horse without knowing it! :eek:
 
As a long time vego I have followed this issue with interest and some amusement.

It's pretty obvious that meat is meat and most can't tell what they are eating and quite possibly don't' care.

The ready-made industry has been created by demand. If no one bought it - they wouldn't make it.

And of course, there is price. Everyone wants cheaper and cheaper.

Supply and demand. You got what you paid for.
 
In the last few months I have drastically cut down on the amount of meat we eat, to the point where we could almost be vegetarians, but whenever I buy meat now I ALWAYS buy it from the local butchers. Partly because I know it's better quality, partly because I like being able to ask/know exactly where it's come from, but mainly because I want to support my local businesses. I would much rather be putting my money back in to the community and helping our high streets than giving my money to a faceless multinational company.

I wish we had a fruit/veg shop too but the last one closed recently :(
 
I feel bad but I'm really not bothered if I've eaten horse meat accidentally! I wouldn't ever go out and buy it purposely to eat but I am guilty to having the odd ready meal / take away burger or donner kebab knowing full well that it could contain any old rubbish but I still ate it because it tasted good! :o

It's not very nice that we can't trust what our food is and where it comes from but I'm not losing sleep over this scandal. I haven't tasted anything odd and survived! ;)

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Our local butcher advertises his meat is 'home killed' - which presumably guarantees what animal it came from!!

I'm afraid I am guilty of buying the odd ready meal, especially when returning home from work late. But when I'm off on holiday (I'm a teacher) I cook from scratch 99% of the time - it is MUCH preferred by the family and it means we can have those old favourites. (requests for steak & kidney pie, chicken pie, liver & onions over half term)

I don't have any problem with eating horse meat per se - but, of course, as it's entered the food chain illegally, who KNOWS what drugs/hormones/steriods etc are also in the meat :p (I have had it in France years ago and it was tasty, lean and tender - very nice!!!)
 
I think the point made today that people selling horse illegally labelled as beef are hardly likely to be respecting other aspects of regulations, for instance hygiene, appropriate storage etc. is a very good one. I cannot accept the "it is still safe" message!!

I buy meat from my local farm shop - I see the animals growing up in the fields, it is slaughtered down the road and returned for butchering to the farm. There is a great quality difference from supermarket meat. I have bought processed food for convenience I have to say but will make very effort not in the future.

My work brings me into contact with organic farmers who do care a great deal about their animals and work hard to ensure standards are high in all aspects of their care for their livestock. Sadly they are going out of organics as the market is really suffering as a result of the recession, especially pig farmers who are losing money on every animal slaughtered.

I do wonder whether there are other hidden food scandals yet to emerge.
 
It's not the meat you need to worry about! look at a bottle of natural spring water, contains fluoride!, Ingredient of rat poison ( fluoride ) what are they adding to tap water (fluoride ) even makes sarcoids drop off! even when radio active ***** don't work!!! ffs google Agenda 21.. people need to open their eyes! nobody is safe.
 
QUICKFIRE said:
It's not the meat you need to worry about! look at a bottle of natural spring water, contains fluoride!, Ingredient of rat poison ( fluoride ) what are they adding to tap water (fluoride ) even makes sarcoids drop off! even when radio active ***** don't work!!! ffs google Agenda 21.. people need to open their eyes! nobody is safe.
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Hugh Fearnley whatever his name is was going on about everything else that maybe this will open a huge can of worms now. Although people think meat at the supermarket is cheaper its not as when I go to the supermarket for one or two items I come out £70 later! If I go locally I dont spend as much they dont have such big shops. I spend less time and less money locally and the meat is much better. I have never had bad bit of meat from butcher but have from supermarket where I havent bought meat for years.
 
Love my local butchers have been buying there for a few years now, £8 -12 week, fruit and veg from local wholesale veg supplies £6-8 week for 2 people, If it's got ingredients its processed! yuk! I like my food to look like what is is supposed to be, we eat well for a fraction of what I used to spend in supermarket..
 
It is all so worryingly gross.
Mind you, I always thought the amount of meat in those cheap ready meals was negligible. Mostly tough old pasta and slimey cold sauce! The tiny bit of meat that was in there is like a gritty paste. Absolutely vile.
 
Although i don't buy cheapy ready meals, and i agree everything tastes better when its made from scratch, i feel really sorry for the people who have no options, i.e the elderly who live on a pittance and can't manage to cook anymore ..I'm also mad at the fact that this crap food is going to our school kids, patients in hospitals and elderly in care homes, .. you can bet that this crap has found its way into the authorities systems.. they are the most guilty for wanting cheap.
 
lhotse said:
I work for the supermarket at the centre of this scandal and I can count on one hand the number of readymeals that have passed through my checkout over the last couple of days. It is definitely having an impact, hopefully a resurgence on the highstreet will follow. Too long people have put their faith in mass produced, low quality food. If people stop eating readymeals, full of salt and fat, nevermind horsemeat, then maybe the population as a whole will become healthier!!
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This is fantastic news.

If people go back to home cooking and caring about their food quality hopefully we'll all be fitter and healthier too, less obesity in the country.
 
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Thankfully we buy or meat from a local farm were they rear & butcher themselves, & from a very high quality butcher who names their (all local) source farms. Rather go without meat than eat rubbish. Not wishing to be funny, but what kind of quality of meat did people really think they were getting for such low prices? Even if there was a hint of cow in there it would be the rubbish bits. No way was it ever good for you.

Would personally recommend the butchers in town, Warrens in Launceston. Totally above board, open premises so you can see them preparing the meat. They've thrived despite couple of large supermarkets (including Tesco) nearby, because of their reputation. Couple of days before Christmas the queue was enormous for people picking up their meat orders. Every saturday it's out the door, even with about 8-10 servers on the go. Personally I adore their pork & apple burgers.

Love the photo!
 
gracey said:
Although i don't buy cheapy ready meals, and i agree everything tastes better when its made from scratch, i feel really sorry for the people who have no options, i.e the elderly who live on a pittance and can't manage to cook anymore ..I'm also mad at the fact that this crap food is going to our school kids, patients in hospitals and elderly in care homes, .. you can bet that this crap has found its way into the authorities systems.. they are the most guilty for wanting cheap.
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That's crossed my mind too Gracey. It's easy to say "buy from the farm shop" but not everyone has a farm shop or even a decent butchers nearby.

Better education (starting in schools) as to how to make good meals from the cheaper cuts of meat would help. There are so many food programmes on TV these days but if you're not cooking at the "roast gilded swan with shaved black truffles and cavier jus" level, they're not of much practical benefit tbh.
 
gracey said:
Although i don't buy cheapy ready meals, and i agree everything tastes better when its made from scratch, i feel really sorry for the people who have no options, i.e the elderly who live on a pittance and can't manage to cook anymore ..I'm also mad at the fact that this crap food is going to our school kids, patients in hospitals and elderly in care homes, .. you can bet that this crap has found its way into the authorities systems.. they are the most guilty for wanting cheap.
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Yes, I'm afraid I agree with you. Lots of peeps on FB going on about local butchers but I work in a rural school and frankly the 10p sausage or Value lasagne is a fact of life for some. I don't have a problem with humanely sourced horsemeat but jeezo, what else is in there if QA is so lacking.
 
See I think people can do without the 10p sausage or cheap lasagne.

How did people manage years ago before the concept of fast food ?

The 10p sausage and cheap lasagna is not the food of choice for the poor it is for the lazy and uneducated.
 
Following on from the Horsemeat scandal and the fact that I chucked out a load of veg that was past its best and realised there was a good £20 in the bin, we are going to try to only shop at our local butchers and farmers markets for the next few weeks to see how we get on. There is only two of us so I imagine it will be easier than anyone with a family as the supermarket is so convenient and probably cheaper.

I've always been careful of 'mystery meat' ie, pasties, pies etc, but have dined on the odd kebab when I've had a few to drink and it does make you wonder what you have eaten.

Whilst I don't have a problem with people eating horsemeat, I do have a problem with not knowing what I'm eating! The system for other animals sent to slaughter is that they are numbered, passported etc, whereas, you could write anything on a horse passport and then sell it for meat.

I also question why on earth we import meat, surely now is the time for the government to push a Buy British campaign which would help boost the economy too?
 
We have a smallholding and have pigs and cattle for the meat trade. All our meat goes to local butchers and farmshops. The butchers has a form hanging in the shop stating where the beef is grown and ear tag number. All the pigs have ear tags. All the animals have endless paperwork involved in moving them and any animal that dies other than slaughter has to be sent to the local disposal company with even more paperwork. All I can say to any consumers is that buy british from a good butcher and you will have quality meat. Buy cheap get what you pay for. On the odd occasion that I have eaten a ready meal such as cottage pie from Tesco's I must admit there has been a horrible after taste and I vow never again. I definitely won't be having any more.
 
Being cynical I now wonder how meat prices will go up and these supermarkets etc will obviously have to find new suppliers and negotiate new contracts
 
BBH said:
See I think people can do without the 10p sausage or cheap lasagne.

How did people manage years ago before the concept of fast food ?

The 10p sausage and cheap lasagna is not the food of choice for the poor it is for the lazy and uneducated.
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Its actually both. The skills base for even being able to bake a loaf of bread is long gone. People are now on 3rd or 4th generation where NOBODY has ever worked. So you have whole cohorts of people living in tenements like this. Poor - for sure, lazy - possibly as just now an ingrained learned behaviour - they've seen nothing else and uneducated? oh heavans yes.

Not aiming to be some modern day social worker here, in fact am far from it but it doesn't sit very easily when people say ' oh just use the local butcher' I'll bet in the gorbals in Glasgow there isn't even any such thing. We are very, very fortunate to be able to make such choices.
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
Can you report them anonymously? I think it's disgusting that employers are taking advantage of the recession like this :mad:
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I worked for Northern Foods from 2000-2009 in the production department. Breaks were 1 x 30 min and 1 x 20 min for an 8-hour shift. Bearing in mind it took 5 mins to walk to the canteen and 5 mins back in reality the breaks were only 20 mins and 10 mins. Perfectly legal though.
 
I usually shop at our local butcher for red meat and chicken - but I have on occasion purchased ready meals from Tesco although never their own brand stuff. I'm not a huge red meat fan, I prefer chicken and fish I will never ever buy ready meals from anywhere ever again after this - fresh made at home from here on in - I have noticed a significantly longer queue outside the butchers this last week also so Im clearly not the only one
 
I agree with all who cook from scratch - always tastes so much better. When I have bought the odd ready meal I always figured reading the label to buy british meat and best ingredients would assure me the best quality -- after the revelatons this week I feel duped tbh
 
The trouble is ready meals can disguise almost anything and as if horse isn't bad enough your mind does over time wondering what else is in it.:(
 
scarymare said:
Its actually both. The skills base for even being able to bake a loaf of bread is long gone. People are now on 3rd or 4th generation where NOBODY has ever worked. So you have whole cohorts of people living in tenements like this. Poor - for sure, lazy - possibly as just now an ingrained learned behaviour - they've seen nothing else and uneducated? oh heavans yes.

Not aiming to be some modern day social worker here, in fact am far from it but it doesn't sit very easily when people say ' oh just use the local butcher' I'll bet in the gorbals in Glasgow there isn't even any such thing. We are very, very fortunate to be able to make such choices.
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Absolutely. It's very easy to say "people should learn" or "they're just ignorant/lazy" but without understanding what a huge cultural shift it will take to educate them it's not very helpful. These people aren't exactly awash with resources and probably lack even the confidence to go into a butcher (assuming they've got one nearby) and risk making themselves look stupid by not knowing what to ask for, or assume everything in there is out of their budget to start with. When you can feed a family on a packet of bute-burgers and some frozen chips for £1.99, why buy a free range chicken for a £10? Processed packaged food is so much cheaper, because it's made from rubbish and made to taste better with extra salt, sugar, MSG and fat and many people simply can't afford to buy fresh raw food that takes longer to prepare and cook, nor have the first clue what to do with it if they did.

The other point to remember is that society has moved on since the days when the majority of women stayed at home with a big chunk of the day available to spend preparing and cooking meals for the family on a daily basis because that was their 'job'. Time is pressured and precious and I'm sure a fair few busy people have resorted to ready meals feeling guilty about it and knowing it's not the best choice of food, but still assuming that you should be able to trust the contents to be what they say they are.
 
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