Horsemeat found in Norwegian microwave lasgne, and the nation goes crazy!

reply to post by GrandStrategy

So you say. But that horse meat has been allowed into our food unchecked for so long, who's to say that there isn't rat poison and other garbage being sneaked in there too?

That is a horrible argument...just horrible.

It's bigger than horse. you completely miss the point. People are entitled to know what they're eating, and they're entitled to know whether it's fit for human consumption

You are right, people should be able to know what they are eating but there is nothing to indicate that horse meat is not fit for human consumption which is why its was not pulled off the shelf- it poses no health risk.

you would need to be psychopathic or unintelligent on a different level to think it's acceptable for this to be happening.

Really? So if I don't agree with you im a stupid psychopath? That is really stupid thing to say-REALLY stupid. I will give you credit it is slightly better than just name calling in place of a coherent argument-but only slightly.
I think you would need be easily manipulated and lacking critical thinking skills to get so upset over this.

I don't know why so many idiots are trying to turn this into an argument about "but there's nothing wrong with horse meat".

Yeah, that is a clear give away. The whole idea that someone who does not agree with you is stupid because they don't agree with you is a clear indication of close mindedness and ignorance. The MSM count on people like you to enforce the status quo. Without people like you there would be nobody to propagate the ideas that are spoon fed to you.

The British govt were informed in 2011 about the horse meat scandal and their response? They cut 700 inspectors from the FSA.
We are all in it together says camoron in downing street

Actually this is nothing new its been happening since 1948, Google the great horse meat scandal.
Its an attempt to wipe out the small farms. Big corps wont be affected.

Its blatent fraud being carried out on us same chit with the PPI scandal. No one gets charged as they some how managed to get the word fraud changed to miss selling

reply to post by colin42


Horse Cancer Bumps? Really? If you cook them just right, Yummers, damn tasty! I was watching a tv show about some Alaska airline a few weeks back. One of the local favorits is a 'seal fin' buried in the ground for two weeks until it basically putrifies! I once had to eat baloney from a can that had been stockpiled for the Korean War! Why? because it was that, or lobster, ech! Where's that plate of seal fin! The good part about the baloney ws the green ring around the edge, tasted just like chicken!

reply to post by Superhans

You are right, people should be able to know what they are eating but there is nothing to indicate that horse meat is not fit for human consumption which is why its was not pulled off the shelf- it poses no health risk.

The point is there is nothing to show the horse meat WAS fit for human consumption. As for not being pulled off the shelves, really? What news have you been watching?

If you were to follow your logic there is no problem with money counterfeiters and when you are given a fake £50 note where is the harm? The MP’s only mislead us about their expenses, where’s the crime in that?

If you buy a product that is clearly labelled BEEF and it is actually cheaper and unregulated horse meat that is fraud. That is a crime, you have no way to know if the meat is healthy or contaminated because it is UNREGULATED.

If you really believe there is nothing wrong then I agree with Grand. You don’t really understand what is going on here. The market researchers that read posts such as your's must be as happy as Larry when they report back to their bosses nothing to worry about as unregulated horse meat is not the only thing the idiot consumers are swallowing.

reply to post by illuminnaughty
Exactly. If you were to put the wrong times on your timesheet or expenses form you would be facing charges of fraud. If you were caught with your fingers in the till it would be stealing

When the same crime is committed by those with power like MP's, Bankers and Multi nationals, when exposed it is called a scandal. No one goes to prison charged with scandal. Seems not only are they too big to fail they are also too big for jail.

The government knew about this fraud long ago and did nothing. In the eyes of the law that means they are accomplices to the crime.

How many times do we let these crooks go free? Worse still why the hell are the victims of these crimes defending the criminals?

reply to post by CarbonBase
I wrote cancer LUMPS but hey.

I have a motto. Unless you try something you cannot say you don’t like it. I have tried many foods, some once only and many more have been added to my the menu but in all cases I got what I asked for and paid for.

The only other reason I would choose not to eat food is ethical. I have not eaten Beef since the BSE scandal and not because I don’t like beef, it’s because I don’t like being lied to and here they are caught in yet another lie.

A government spokesman saying there is no proof this unregulated meat was harmful is just more dressed up propaganda as they also have no proof it was not. We don’t even know how long this has been going on.

I recall a minister stating there was no evidence to support Gulf war syndrome and when asked if our government was looking for evidence he replied NO.

reply to post by norsefire


Doesn't bug me personally, but it's the principle that matters. The company(ies) that are knowingly deceiving consumers are the problem, not the fact that it's horse meat. That is a HUGE problem. And while it's nice that you don't care if you're eating horse meat, but since the entire world doesn't revolve around you, it does matter what other people think regardless of whether or not you agree with their opinion.

Seems like a completely legitimate and newsworthy story to me.

As people say, it's not really about the consumption of horse. In the UK and a lot of Europe it's not common so it'll undoubtedly surprise and disgust a few - but as others note, it's the incorrectly declared ingredients.

In some respects, it's not even really about the horse entering the beef food line or even beef at all - the wider question this 'scandal' raises is whether the lacks of import checks and free movement of food stocks within the EU is permitting wide spread 'contamination' - whether in error or on purpose. The EU is huge, so it's very easy for the origins of X, Y or Z to be lost in a warren of companies across several nations.

Of course, the headlines are mainly about people inadvertantly eating horse, but once that calms down I'm sure it'll become more about how the EU trade principles work and how they can be strengthened to avoid this kind of issue in the future.

As for the OP, it's hardly surprising that it's big news in Norway - you're non-EU so should, theoretically, be somewhat insulated from an EU based food issue by your import regulations.

Edit: I should say, I'm a committed carnivore so am not at all troubled by horse, but people deserve to know what they're buying.

Originally posted by KingIcarus
As people say, it's not really about the consumption of horse. In the UK and a lot of Europe it's not common so it'll undoubtedly surprise and disgust a few - but as others note, it's the incorrectly declared ingredients.

In my opinion we have two problems here and the incorrect declaration is just the minor one. We should ask why they don't declare the horse meet on the package as (at least here in Germany) horse meat is more expensive than chicken/cow/pig... So the problem is less that it is horse but the really bad quality of the horse meat that is inside.

They would have labelled it with 'Quality horse meat' and sold it with the double price here.

Forgive me if this has already been said.

There are very real and disturbing health concerns around this food scandal.

It's not just about 'horsemeat' posing as beef, that's the real problem here, it goes MUCH deeper than simply what animal has been ground up and labelled up as another more socially acceptable animal flesh.

To an extent, it's about competence of very well funded regulatory governmental organisations, honesty of suppliers and vendors and respect from everyone involved in the supply chain, whether suppliers or government agencies, or end vendors for the most important cog in these large wheels of commerce..the consumer and the public at large.

If you buy Beef, it should be Beef.

Over and above all of that obvious stuff, of much greater importance, the issue of 'foreign meat products ending up being sold as beef, is the issue of very real health concerns.

Not just not knowing how the animal has been treated and slaughtered during it's transition through to the mincing machines, but what has gone INTO that animal during it's lifetime, that will in turn, go into anyone who consumes it.

What vetinary drugs have been injected?

What type and levels of anti-biotics have been given?

What type of de-worming medications?

What parasites and infections the animal might be carrying into the food chain?

What pesticides has the animal been exposed to?

Did the animal have cancerous tumours or marrow / blood cancer like leukemia?

Did it contract TB or any number of other diseases that could be acting against our own immune systems?

Has the animal been grazing on or fed radioactive contaminated foodstuffs? (Lamb is particularly tightly controlled in this respect, due to Nuclear accidents and fallout contaminating grazing areas)

Does the animal have neurological diseases, like BSE or similar degenerative disease?

The list is almost endless.

Of course, the problem is...if we or more importantly THEY (TPTB) don't (claim) to know what animal is going into our food chain, exactly how the hell can they be testing any of this as safe for our consumption?

They obviously can't be.

Meat destined for our dinner plate, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Chicken and the rest has to have minimum standards applied to it's rearing. It has to be monitored by vets, checked and certified as fit for Human consumption, without excessive levels of medications that will be passed along the food chain...or at least, they are SUPPOSED to be.

So you see OP..it's NOT just about whether Horse, Dog, Cat or Rat is routinely being shoved into a packet and labelled up as something else, it's about the real and very important health issues that could be packaged up and passed along with it.

I suspect, looking at a lot of the Politician's faces with a look of fear etched upon them during last week's BBC 'Question Time' TV programme, when this was being discussed on the debate...they knew all about this, not just during the last few months, not just the last year, but i suspect this has been going on, and TPTB have known about it for decades!

Smug Politicians don't ususally look scared without a good reason...and they looked scared. Scared of being discovered over exactly what they knew and when they knew it.

Who's to say unregulated meat going into the food chain isn't responsible to the rise in Asthma in Kids?

Who's to say it isn't contributing to the rise in ADD, ADHD type neurological conditions?

And the rise in Cancers?

The problem is, without knowing the type, welfare, treatment and history of an animal sold for meat, we CAN'T know for certain.

THIS is why people are upset about 'Horsemeat' being sold as Beef...not JUST because they don't choose to eat an old nag.

Originally posted by UnixFE

Originally posted by KingIcarus
As people say, it's not really about the consumption of horse. In the UK and a lot of Europe it's not common so it'll undoubtedly surprise and disgust a few - but as others note, it's the incorrectly declared ingredients.

In my opinion we have two problems here and the incorrect declaration is just the minor one. We should ask why they don't declare the horse meet on the package as (at least here in Germany) horse meat is more expensive than chicken/cow/pig... So the problem is less that it is horse but the really bad quality of the horse meat that is inside.

They would have labelled it with 'Quality horse meat' and sold it with the double price here.

Just to correct you. Regulated horse meat may well be more expensive than beef.

Unregulated horse meat is up to 75% cheaper than beef. This adds further concern that this meat cannot fulfil the requirements to achieve much better prices you point to and by default confirms this meat is not fit for human consumption.

reply to post by MysterX
Your post is spot on and deserved more than one star from me. Well done

reply to post by colin42


Thanks colin42.

Nice of you to say.

Originally posted by Superhans
That is a horrible argument...just horrible.

In what way is that a horrible argument? Up until a few weeks ago nobody had any idea that horse meat was widespread in mass-sold food products. That in itself is clear evidence of a lack of sufficient regulation. That's a damning argument, and it's an indisputable one... to everybody but you, that is.

There's no argument there. If you attempt one you're only reaffirming your apparent buffoonery.

And I have no idea what your little jab about the media has do with anything. I'm not spoon-fed by the MSM. I'm as anti-media as it gets. Just because the scandal is being promoted by the media does not make it untrue or not worthy of outrage. I'm tempted to say you're being fallacious, but your post doesn't make sense so I'm not sure if it's that or whether you're just somewhat illiterate.

reply to post by norsefire


It's a cultural thing...in the US, horses are pets, not food sources. As a horse-owner myself, I'd be pretty furious if I was eating horse meat without my knowledge, just from an ethical standpoint. Especially since there is actually an issue here with people stealing and killing horses to sell in Mexico for meat. We've had to up our security measures when it happened in a neighboring county.