2013 horse meat scandal

The 2013 horse meat scandal was a food industry scandal in parts of Europe in which foods advertised as containing beef were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat—as much as 100% of the meat content in some cases.^[1] A smaller number of products also contained other undeclared meats, such as pork.^[2] The issue came to light on 15 January 2013, when it was reported that horse DNA had been discovered in frozen beefburgers and lasagna sold in several Irish and British supermarkets.^[3]

The analysis stated that 23 out of 27 samples of beef burgers also contained pig DNA. Adherents of some religions are forbidden from eating pork or horse meat due to their beliefs.^[4]

While the presence of undeclared meat was not a health issue, the scandal revealed a major breakdown in the traceability of the food supply chain, and the risk that harmful ingredients could have been included as well. Sports horses, for example, could have entered the food supply chain, and with them the veterinary drug phenylbutazone which is banned in food animals. The scandal later spread to 13 other European countries, and European authorities decided to find an EU-wide solution. They initiated meat testing of about 4,000 horse meat samples for the veterinary drug.