APA News
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Tests by Kent PA Lab lead to first successful horse meat prosecution in UK
A food import company has been fined £5,000 after sausagemeat analysed by Kent Scientific Services that was supposed to be pork, was found to contain nearly 50% horsemeat. The Bulgarian-cured sausage was found in a Londis store during spot checks by trading standards officers in Dartford last year.
Food analyst John Griffin said tests revealed the sausagemeat contained 46% horsemeat. He said: “That’s a significant amount of horsemeat considering there was no horse indicated to be present in the food at all, the public were not aware if they ate this product there would be horse present.”
Trading Standards found that Expo Foods Limited, based in London, had not tested the sausage - despite widespread coverage about the horsemeat scandal.It was discovered after a test purchase was carried out at a Londis store in Dartford, Kent, by Kent County Council’s trading standards department in October last year. Expo Foods Ltd, based in Enfield, London, admitted breaching the Food Safety Act before Dartford magistrates.
Expo Foods has since withdrawn the product from sale while working with Kent County Council and the Food Standards Agency and has made changes to its supplier network.Professor Elliott congratulated Kent County Council via Twitter saying “Successful horsemeat prosecution in the UK. Well done to Kent Trading Standards.”
