The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

So I've been noticing this going on over on this side of the ocean. Every so many days another development comes out about more products being discovered with traces of horsemeat in them. This started I believe with issues from Burger King's UK supplier, but it has since gone out to other parts of europe.

BBC News - Horsemeat scandal: Four new products test positive

I suppose in a way this is tied to the problems of processed meats. The problem of horse isn't so much a problem I guess (especially if it's just the DNA), but the standards of the way these things are prepared.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

I don't really understand the big controversy: do these people think horse meat is somehow more 'dirty' than cattle meat? I buy horse meat sausage to put on bread just normally, called mettwurst. I believe horse meat is a delicacy in Slavic countries, a tradition originally from the Mongolic invasion.

Also I noticed some funny cultural differences:
BBC News - Give horsemeat-tainted food to poor - German minister

Many people were offended how the German minister suggested to give the horse meat products to the poor. It caused outrage in social media and did indeed made international news. Well, funny thing because the horse meat products were requested by several NGOs here and were distributed to the poor. It didn't cause a controversy at all, quite the contrary, I can imagine the outrage in Finnish media if proper food was just thrown to trash bin.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

Oh noes, not 1% horse meat! Anything but that!

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

Yes, the question of the quality of meat does arise. What is the hygiene level of horsemeat versus cattlemeat? There certainly are taste issues and rome religious issues [Muslims don't like eating horse] but these things don't matter much in the western world.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

There's no way 1% horse meat is a taste issue in crappy fast food burgers.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

One potential problem with horse meat is that it may contain residues of medication. I doubt that this is much worse than what is usually mixed into feed for other animals though.

It is also a bit unsettling that so many companies get away with selling products with mystery meat even though the EU has so many regulations. If a big European company can sell you horse meat without you noticing it what do you think the less well regulated companies in the US or other places put into their products?

This isn't the first food related scandal either. There is one scandal chasing another, already now there is one about feed with carcinogenic substances in Germany. And a week ago there were lots of articles in the news about fraud with bio (organic) products.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

That controversy already did happen in Switzerland becuase 0.1 % of pork meat was found in kebab:
Muslims shocked by pork in Swiss kebabs - The Local
Also:
BBC News - Horse DNA found in halal burgers for Lancashire schools

I respect their choice, but at the same time rather annoyed with the quran-thumping. That small amounts (0.1 %) come because the same factories process other meat, the same way of how "Traces of peanut may be found." A week ago there was an news article by the Finnish broadcaster, in which Muslim immigrants wanted the supermarket to put non-halal meat out of the normal meat desk and worry if they use the same knives to cut pork meat and other meat. That was a popular Facebook share, and naturally it's not doing very good PR.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

Lol. Yes 0.1 is a really small share of adulteration and should not have any effect on the physiology.

Thing is, Muslims don't refrain from pork meat for physiology reasons. They refrain from it due to religious reasons. So while 0.1 might not make any difference, eating such adulterated meat would still mean breaching the religious order.

Furthermore, if you don't stand up and oppose it at 0.1 percent today, it will be very hard to take a stand at 5 percent today and 20 percent the day after.

In countries where Muslim consumers make a reasonable proportion of the market, they can install a new section in the meat processing plant, which processes only the halal/cattle meat. It would make them happy that they are being cared for and it will create a small proportion of new jobs too.

For countries where Muslim consumers are not so prominent, they would have to go by this 0.1 percent mixing. God knows their intentions well and that they have no choice.

About the horsemeat adulteration. Oh well. Horse isn't haram/disallowed in Islam. It is somewhat not considered so very good choice of meat though. It doesn't make much sense throwing a tantrum over it for religious reasons. They still can throw a different tantrum for hygiene reasons as MrFancypants has explained.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

I get the outrage over a lack of truth in advertising or whatever, but I otherwise don't see the controversy either. It is meat, whether or not we place horses on a higher pedestal than cows, for some reason. I mean, I've eaten bison, caribou and moose before in my life, and paid extra for the privilege.

To be fair, I doubt I would be pleased either if I found out I had been eating horse meat (because I too place them on a pedestal for some reason), but to call it "tainted," as the media has been fond of doing, is just silly. I was particularly upset when an MP floated the idea of giving the "tainted" meat to the poor and homeless, instead of destroying it, and was immediately lampooned for essentially trying to poison the poor.

I bet people in the developing world wouldn't mind taking it off our hands.

Re: The European meat recalls (Horse DNA)
 

At least the ones dying due to starvation in africa would be thankful ... But since nobody has any political benefits attached to them, that food might end up at the ocean floor or the stomach of the fish but not a starving african child.