Horsemeat-in-burgers scandal prompts food hygiene fears

Religious leaders have expressed concern at DNA from horses and pigs being found in frozen beefburgers.

Jewish leaders warned such incidents must not happen again, while the Muslim Council of Britain said it was worried by the whole issue of misdescription of food.

John Benjamin, the chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "Observant Jews would only eat certain types of meat, and even then only if the animal had been killed in accordance with the laws of kosher food production.

"Those that might be less observant and might eat beef that is not strictly kosher would still avoid pork and horsemeat, and we hope that mistakes in meat processing are not repeated. Keeping to a kosher diet would normally avoid the risks of such contamination."

Shuja Shafi, the deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "As a general consumer, the misdescription of food products is a matter of great concern for us. As far as we are aware, these products are not labelled as halal, and therefore from a faith-dietary perspective this particular incident does not seem to affect the Muslim community.

"However, companies providing meat or any such food products, as well as food retailers, need to make sure proper assurance schemes are set in place so consumers feel comfortable in knowing what they are buying."

Unison, which represents staff in the UK meat industry, warned of "swingeing cuts" in trading standards and meat hygiene services. Proper government investment could have meant the scandal being picked up in the UK rather than missed because of reliance on the Irish authorities, it said.

Moves in Britain and across the EU to deregulate the meat industry also threatened food standards, Unison said, citing falls in new prosecutions, inspections and legal checks.

Karen Jennings, Unison's assistant general secretary, said: "While horsemeat isn't a threat to health, it does pose the question: do we know what's in our burgers?

"The public deserve to have confidence in the products they buy. This confidence comes from trading standards services having the resources available to check the labelling on products and pick up offences early, and from the work of meat inspectors and vets in abattoirs."

Jennings said: "Trading standards officers work hard to ensure that products pose no risk to consumers but as their budgets are slashed their ability to identify problems, inspect premises and prosecute wrongdoers has become severely limited.

"The real danger in this case is the quality and wholesomeness of meat in abattoirs. We need to avoid disease and contamination, and things like excrement making it into our food. This danger is avoided in the UK by the work of meat inspectors and vets in abattoirs."

The horsemeat incident "is yet another example of why the industry isn't fit to regulate itself", said Jennings. "It is vital that we continue the independent physical inspection of meat in the UK and the rest of the EU."