Scotland revisits school meals over horse-meat scandal

Scotland is rethinking how it volition rootage schoolhouse meals next revelations of horse-meat contamination inward a beef burger found at a school.

It follows the uncovering of traces of Equus caballus deoxyribonucleic acid inward a frozen burger removed for testing concluding calendar week from a schoolhouse kitchen inward North Lanarkshire. The uncovering resulted inward official advice to local government as well as the similar to halt using electrical current stocks of frozen beef products pending farther inquiries.

Samples of other frozen mince removed from storage inward North Lanarkshire schoolhouse kitchens direct hold since tested negative for Equus caballus DNA.

However, stocks of beef burger products direct hold been removed from North Lanarkshire schoolhouse kitchens equally a precaution.

North Lanarkshire Council said its investigations were focusing on the locomote of frozen burger supplies during the past times 3 months, the maximum length of fourth dimension these would endure held inward storage.

Scottish Ministers announced on Dominicus that piece of employment would endure undertaken to ensure that equally much locally sourced nutrient equally possible was served inside Scotland’s schools.

On Friday, the procurement agency, Scotland Excel, advised Scottish local government as well as its other world sector customers non to locomote whatever electrical current stocks they concur of frozen beef products, including frozen beef mince, or lodge whatever novel stocks, until the outcome of further, detailed investigations were established.

It followed Thursday’s advice to local councils to house a concur on the locomote of all frozen beef burger products, next the uncovering of the presence of Equus caballus deoxyribonucleic acid inward a frozen beef burger inward North Lanarkshire.

The advice did non apply to the render as well as locomote of fresh butcher meat.

A Scotland Excel spokesperson said: “We direct hold consulted widely amongst regulatory agencies, environmental wellness officers as well as our customers as well as nosotros direct hold taken the conclusion today to recommend to all of our customers that they should accept a precautionary approach as well as suspend farther locomote of all frozen beef products, including frozen mince, until farther detailed investigations are completed.

“It is of import to emphasise that this is a purely precautionary mensurate and, at this time, no other samples of frozen beef products direct hold returned a positive resultant for Equus caballus DNA.”

Ministers inward Scotland said they were cracking to run across amongst local government to hash out how standards tin hand the sack endure raised fifty-fifty higher inward schoolhouse meals.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Michael Russell said: “Our schools meals direct hold already been vastly improved, but the horse-meat scandal has thrown a spotlight on the sourcing of schoolhouse food.

“Local Authorities are rightly concerned that the practiced piece of employment going on to ameliorate nutrient inward schools is beingness missed spell nosotros bargain amongst the consequences of the electrical current issue.

“We desire to piece of employment amongst local government to endure certain that best exercise inward procurement is routine inward councils as well as that the procurement reforms nosotros introduced are working well.”

Meanwhile, inward Italy, wellness officials direct hold seized six tonnes of Earth heart labelled equally beef as well as 2400 packages of a lasagne production equally component division of ongoing inquiries into horse-meat contamination of beef products.

It was seized from a fellowship inward the country’s north.

The wellness ministry building said government were continuing to comport checks throughout Italy.

Meanwnile, Germany’s consumer affairs ministry building said it had found Equus caballus heart inward 67 of the 830 nutrient products tested then far.

Germany Development Minister Dirk Niebel has proposed feeding the affected products to the poor. “We can’t only throw nutrient away inward Germany.”

The opposition objected, proverb it would insult to the poor.

In Britain, the British Retail Consortium welcomed the latest results of testing on processed beef products, amongst to a greater extent than than 99 per cent proving to endure clear of horse-meat contamination to a higher house 1 per cent.

Testing to appointment has covered 92 per cent of available products.

Consortium director-general Helen Dickinson said: “I’m encouraged past times these updated results which confirm how few products direct hold been involved as well as that whatever that were, direct hold already been removed.

“We hold to accept this really seriously.

“While nosotros may endure nearing the goal of the Food Standards Agency testing phase, always since the incident get-go occurred, we’ve gone farther past times increasing our surveillance as well as monitoring procedures. This volition hold equally nosotros await to review electrical current practices. We’ll endure working closely amongst Government, the regulator as well as our suppliers to larn the lessons as well as implement all as well as every necessary modify required.”

 

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