Greek Products Test Positive For Horse Meat

This is TOTALLY crazy!!  They have now found horse meat in chicken nuggets in Greece as well as beef products - can you believe it!!??  People involved in the horse slaughter business are dishonest and this all needs to stop - what more will it take?  ~Declan

Greek products test positive for horse meat

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Mar 25, 2013 in News

Greek authorities have announced the recall of a list of products, including a line of chicken nuggets, because of horse-meat contamination.

Some contained significant levels of horse meat – in some cases half or more of the total meat content.

The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) gave the details of the products which were the subject of the recall.

They were listed as follows:

• The frozen traditional meat product soutzouki M.K., 80g, best before date 12/2/20/14, cartboxes of 4kg. Horse DNA was detected at more than 25 per cent.
• Frozen chicken nuggets 25g, best before date 7/1/2014, cartboxes of 3 kg (horse DNA was detected at levels of more than 10 per cent but less than 25 per cent.
• Frozen snitchel (sic) M.K., 130g, before date 13/2/2014. Boxes of 3kg. Horse DNA was detected at least than 1 per cent.
• The frozen traditional meat product soutzouki Μ.Κ., 80g, best before date 16/1/2014. Boxes of 4kg. Horse DNA was detected at more than 50%.
• Frozen snitchel Μ.Κ., 130 g, best before 7/12/2013, boxes of 3kg. Horse DNA was detected at less than 1 per cent.

The agency said the above products were produced by the T&T Foods S.A. company in Chalkidikis for the Choutos Catering S.A. company.

The agency also announced the recall of precooked frozen meat burgers, Ifantis, in packages of 10 burgers with a net weight 800g and best before date of 15/11/2013. Horse DNA was detected at more than 50 per cent. They were produced by the Ifantis S.A. company in Kifissia.

It also gave details of two further recalls:

Frankfurt-type sausages with the trade name Nikas Beef sausages t. Frankfurt, 280 g, with a best before date of 5/5/2013. Horse DNA was detected at levels greater than 10 per cent but less than 25 per cent.

• Meat product Parizaki with the trade name Nikas Beef parizaki, 300g, with a best-before date of 6/6/2013. Horse DNA was detected at levels greater than 1 per cent but less than 32 per cent.
• Those two products are produced by the P.G. Nikas Avee company in Ag. Stefanos Attiki.

EFET said it had requested the immediate recall/withdrawal of the above products from the internal market.

It stressed that the recall/withdrawal referred only to the above batches of the products.

The agency said the samples would be tested further for the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, a common anti-inflammatory drug used in horses which is banned from entering the human food chain.