News

[quinara]

Well, the Pope's resigning. I don't have much to say about that, though I like the idea forwarded on the telly this morning that the new Pope might be from somewhere other than Europe. I think that would be nice for a lot of Catholics around the world

Comments

[ghostyouknow27]

As someone who's had horses, my mind kind of boggles that they'd even be food-safe. Since they're pets, they routinely get, like, vaccinations and de-wormers and medicinal drugs, and I'm not really sure how much feed animals get, aside from, say, antibiotics in their food. Maybe horses get less in the way of drugs, come to think of it. I don't actually know.

Anyway, yes, it's pretty interesting how some animals are acceptable as food sources and other are not, simply for reasons of sentiment. I doubt meat-horses would actually be cheaper or easier on the environment, if they were raised in the same numbers as cows and the overwhelming majority wanted to eat them (it's probably the undesirability that keeps horse meat cheaper), but beef does seem to be King Meat, when I'm sure there are smaller animals that would be more efficient to raise.

[curiouswombat]

As someone who's had horses, my mind kind of boggles that they'd even be food-safe. Since they're pets, they routinely get, like, vaccinations and de-wormers and medicinal drugs,

That seems to be the only worrying part of it, from a health point of view. Because the horsemeat may very well have come from horses that have had meds which they would not have had if they had been bred for the meat-trade. To make it a financially viable scam the meat seems to have come from horses that were not meant to enter the food chain.

Of course the fact that it was being mis-sold is worrying from a non-health point of view - there is the feeling that if they can put in horse and tell you it is co, how can you be sure that any of the other ingredients are what they say they are, I guess.

So yes - it may well be something of a water-shed moment.

[quinara]

Well, since some European countries eat horses as food (and, if I've understood correctly, many more countries including the UK export horsemeat to them), I think they basically don't know whether the horsemeat that's got into the foodchain is from eating stock or pet stock, for want of a better word - it seems to be that they expect it to be fine, but they're checking for chemicals that are banned from food stock horses. It all gets more complicated!

[shapinglight]

I know it's wrong of me but I can't help feeling just slightly smug about all this because I don't eat meat.

But I take your point. It is very odd how we've become so picky about what meat we will eat.

[quinara]

I don't know about feeling smug... I might as well say I feel smug because I can cook/pay more than £1.50 or whatever for a ready meal. :( I don't people mean any harm buying their Tesco spag bol - it's just interesting what they want/expect from it.

[mangosorbet007]

In Germany the first supermarket chain has pulled their lasanga "for further testing". Good grief. Thank goodness I eat 90% vegetarian - if they put horse in there, who knows what else gets in too?

[quinara]

I don't know; I think I'm still seeing this story as trading one type of edible processed meat for another (cheaper) type of edible processed meat, so indicative of some buyers somewhere in the supply chain being duped, but not wholesale negligence. Maybe I'm too trusting, but I think food safety is still pretty high! After all, as far as we know, no one's got ill from the horsemeat yet.

[mangosorbet007]

I've eaten horse, actually, so I'm not opposed to it on principle.
It's just that after the whole BSE affair meat seemed to have become highly regulated in Germany and it's a bit of a shock to see that it's not, really. Then again, there's a reason the term "mystery meat" exists...

[bogwitch]

Rationally, it seems logical to eat horses, but I'm not knowingly going to do it. I'm not sure I want the burgers in my freezer now (not that Sainsbury's have been implicated to my knowledge yet).

I pretty much decided a while back to avoid processed food as much as possible.

[quinara]

Yeah, I can imagine it's tricky if you're attached to horses in any way - I, of course, am not that fussed either way!

Back in my last year of college accommodation, it got to the point where I was living off ready meals and soup... I've finally been able to start enjoying soup again, but I haven't much looked back to the ready meals. Sainsbury's paella used to be one of my favourites, but I had it again a few months ago and it was horrible. And recently I bought a few curries to cook up with rice, but the first one was so tasteless I've left the other two languishing in my freezer... Apparently my cooking is actually better than I thought it was! (Although Asda feta, spinach and tomato tarts that you cook in the oven are really very tasty, along with a few things of that ilk.)

[bogwitch]

I think I could eat it, I have no revulsion, it's just I would rather not. It would certainly be easier than say cat or dog though (or snotty seafood things, tbh).

I've never been particularly keen on soup, it's more of a 'I'll eat it if I have to' thing - not even Tom Yum. There used to be a couple of nice non-tomato curries in Sainsbury's (even though they tasted exactly the same!), but they don't sell them anymore. I think there are about 2 or 3 ready meals across the entire ranges of Sainsbury's, Tesco, Co-op and Morrisons I can eat and none of them are particularly nice (not counting Green Thai Curry, which I don't buy because I can make it myself). As I don't set foot in Asda unless it's Halloween or there is no other choice, it's been a long time since I had a ready meal of theirs and I remember every single one I had was vile.

You are much better cooking your own and freezing. I made a huge 6 portion chicken and apricot tagine today. That should keep me going for a bit and I know exactly what's in it (except for the jam).

[gillo]

Horsemeat is apparently darker and a little sweeter than beef. Processed food tends to have sweeteners added. People think darker beef is better quality. Add the fact that horse is cheaper than beef in a lot of countries, and it's a win for the manufacturers. Follow the money is generally a good rule