Last month, it was revealed that
burger patties, marketed as 100% beef, in fact, contained traces of horse meat,
as well as horse and pig DNA. This discovery serves as both a major health and
religious concern. So far, five EU countries have been affected: Britain,
Ireland, France, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Produce in these countries falls
under strict EU standards, not unlike in the United States.
The extent of the contamination spans a variety of products and a cover-up that, some believe, dates as far back as August 2012. In the United Kingdom, the country's largest food supplier, Tesco, was sampled, and it was found that some of their burger patties were composed of almost 29% horse meat. A further investigation in Ireland found that 10 out of 27 hamburger products contained horse DNA, while 23 of the 27 samples contained pig DNA. But the term "hamburger products" is not limited to the beloved American sandwich. Swedish producer Findus had to withdraw its lasagna products after some samples were found to contain 100% horse meat.
But what led to the use of horse meat in otherwise bovine products? Forbes' links the prevalence of horse meat in beef products to a 2007 ban on horse-drawn buggies on Romanian streets in an effort to spur modernization in the country. Since then, the cost of keeping a horse has outpaced the average national income and left many animals abandoned, which then find their way to local slaughterhouses. While Romanian butchers assert that the horse meat was properly labeled as such, the blame has shifted to a French whole-seller.
This scandal highlights the dangers in globalization. National governments scramble to trace the source of the horse meat, blaming Romanian, and even Polish farmers, as well as French whole-sellers. Another real concern is the oversight that occurs when so many different governments and agencies across an entire continent are involved in the production of a food. For all the benefits of globalization, this slip in food standards is a major push toward the Buy Local movement.
It's disturbing that people are not able to trust what that they are eating what they believe is being sold to them. I wonder how this will impact beef sales in the EU. Various European country's economies will likely be impacted by the horse meat scandal.
ReplyDeleteThe food industry is of growing importance as trade conflicts about food safety issues are becoming more common. I think as the conflicts receive more attention that supply chains will have to create a system of accountability where consumers can trace the line of supply, which goes into the idea of buying more local. Though, on the other hand, I think that producers in the global market are starting to notice the trend that their consumers want to know more about where there food comes from and in order to remain a part of the competition will change their production to meet the consumers needs. It is no longer about low cost anymore, but quality too.
ReplyDeleteI find it discomforting that Europe took such pride in the standard of their meat products yet its being discovered that their 100% beef patties contain horse meat, horse DNA and pig DNA. However, in a New York Times article titled, "A Hint of Horse Meat Has a Nation Squirming More Than Its Neighbors," the author claims that the issues isn't what the meat contains, it is about the labeling. The article then made an interesting comparison between the horse meat scandal and the origins of the banking crisis. "For horse meat sold as beef, read subprime mortgages sold as safe investments."
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Nestle, a global food company, found traces of horse meat in their products. This has led to them removing two of their beef pasta products. Like all the other companies affected in the horse meat scandal, this seems to be a failure of accurately labeling products.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/world/europe/nestle-pulls-2-products-in-horse-meat-scandal.html?_r=0
This is a very interesting blog post, and also very relevant. Today people are becoming more conscious of how their food is produced, the ingredients that it is produced with, and where it is produced. While becoming more aware of food production is great, it is also sad that people have to make an effort to be conscious about food. It will be interesting to see if there are any economic repercussions to this "scandal."
ReplyDeleteAlthough this articles does showcase the dangers associated with globalization in terms of trading food, the solution might not be as easy as buying locally. CNN ran a story from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday , announcing that 24 cases of E. coli O121 had been reported across 15 states, with at least one linked to the consumption of Farm Rich brand frozen meals and snacks. One third of the cases required hospitalization and illness related to this outbreak's strain had been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. Either way , the oversight going into mass food production both internationally and locally needs to improve drastically so these scandals don't keep occurring.
ReplyDeleteWhile the FDA and USDA do have many rules and regulations placed on foods, they are corrupt institutions where many things are often kept secret or go unnoticed. When it comes to contaminated food we are often kept in the dark unless the situation was taken to court. Every year about 28 million Americans get food poisoning. A new food safety law enacted requires the FDA to do more frequent inspections but of course this costs more money. Lot to long ago the FDA recently announced that chicken meat contain arsenic. The arsenic coming from the chicken's food. This issue was only brought up recently because the FDA just "swept the issue under the rug" hoping it would go unnoticed. THe FDA and USDA keep a lot of secrets from consumers. They ignorance is discussing with budget cuts and laziness, problems are affecting millions of American's each year. I think one of the best ways to solve these problems is by educating the consumers about food and nutrition and making them question where their food is coming from.
ReplyDelete