Horsemeat found at Dutch beef plant
3 Feb 2014
Food safety authorities have blocked a Dutch slaughterhouse from selling over 690 tonnes of beef after they found horsemeat in samples taken from the site.
The Dutch Food Safety Authority NVWA last Wednesday announced that it had stopped Gelderland-based company Van Hattem Vlees from selling the beef after traces of horse DNA was found in four samples of beef scraps taken from the slaughterhouse.
Van Hattem Vlees delivers to Dutch supermarket chains Deka, Deen and Vomar, as well as exporting abroad.
The NVWA has given the company a deadline of today (Monday 3rd February) to provide accurate information of the sources of all its meat. If it is unable to do so, operations at the facility will be suspended.
Like the UK, the Netherlands food processing industry suffered a horsemeat scandal in early 2013, with traces of horse DNA found in a number of supermarket beef products.
One year on from the UK’s horsemeat crisis, there is evidence that a large section of the food processing industry is still struggling to ensure clarity across the entire food supply chain.
Food risk management specialist Achilles last month published research showing that 40% of food manufacturers have never “mapped out” their entire supply chain to find out exactly who their suppliers are.
