Another gigantic seen to be doing exercise, conducted, as quite often the case, by people unfit for the purpose but message and favour aligned.

Edited by user 12 February 2013 13:34:55(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Thanks for that ... they are throwing money at the issue, but not acuatally delivering any improvements in a problem that they have created.

Edited by user 12 February 2013 15:18:19(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Catalogue of Food Quality and Safety projects in FP6



That's a lot of money.

The pdf catalogue mentions TRACE on page 64 and (SIGMA)Chain on page 131.

Surely Global Warming does better than this? I've heard sums in the quadrillions mentioned...

I'm surprised the Beeb retailed this.

The idea is that the EU imposes common standards which are largely superior to those of the nation states, so much so that they must be trusted and products so authorised cannot be routinely challenged, apart from on the most serious grounds of endangering health.

Now it turns out that supplies of cheap mince approved by the EU system, from other countries in the EU, cannot be relied on to be wholesome. A form of meat which we were happy to use was reclassified by the EU and we were forced to use a substitute which has caused problems.

So what's the EU there for? It can't create standards and ensure they are stuck to and the delusion that it can is dangerous. In fact what it is doing is to interfere with the legitimate right and responsibility of the British authorities to protect the public.

The Food and Veterinary Office audit of desinewed meat production in the UK can be read here.(pdf)

In order for the suggestion to work, that changes in the classification on desinewed meat prompted the adulteration of meat, the food manufacturers would have to choose to swap desinewed beef/lamb/pork/whatever for desinewed horse or it would change the texture and appearance of the products. I can't see 100% horse lasagne being the consequence of adulteration of desinewed meat alone.

Although, something that jumps out at me is this statement on the FSA's website.

"The European Commission advises that DSM produced by mechanically separating residual meat from animal bones must be regarded as Mechanically Separated Meat (MSM), a product that cannot, under the provisions of European law, be produced from cattle, sheep and goat bones."

No mention of horse there. Using the same loophole logic that mechanically separated meat done gently is merely desinewed meat, if prohibited msm is defined as that from cattle, sheep and goat you'd be in the clear to use horse...

We have far too many paper clip counters fixated on social engineering and far too many common purpose apparats not doing what they are supposed to do and following the Brussels line - paperwork trail.

Too many bloody acronyms and not enough actual investigative inspections.

The horse meat circus, now moves on and trundles into Todmorden and British abattoirs - to take the negative PR away from the EU and Brussels.

British abattoirs at it? Surely not....[ho ho].

All sorts of stuff going on, all sorts in 'chicken' products and pork in meat balls [hmm meat balls conjures a whole host of possibilities] - endless fun, cod sold as Pollock[?] - that's a new one - what about sausages? - Sausages - now there we know what to expect - "expect the impossible and even the inedible".

And then there was the old wives tale and rumour mill, which metamorphosed into Sweeny Todd.