Meat is a special product. The buyer pays attention to its quality, taste, composition and price. Often, however, these factors differ from the actual state.
British Food Standards Agency
It is a British government agency that carries out a number of research activities that focus on food products. He cares that the items available to every consumer on store shelves are of the highest quality, and above all, he aims to ensure human health safety.
Research 2017
Last year, a meat quality survey was carried out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The analysis included 665 samples, collected from 487 companies: production plants, shops, restaurants, bars and kebab booths. Unfortunately, the results of these studies are not satisfactory, and you can even say they are disturbing. 145 samples contained either part or all of meat other than that specified in the composition. The most interesting and shocking example is the ostrich, which in fact turned out to be 100% beef.
The disturbing origin of DNA
Five years ago, there was a horse meat scandal that was smuggled into almost all beef. In the current study from 2017, some samples also contained the DNA of, for example, as many as four different animals that were not listed on the product label. The most common meat that was encountered during the research was bovine DNA, which in turn was adulterated with pork, poultry or lamb.
Shocking truth
The results of the above-mentioned research show us how much the consumer is deceived by companies that offer us to buy meat or their products. It often happens that we overpay for a product because we trust that we are buying a specific type of high-quality meat. The FSA said it would not leave this study without consequences, and the results would be reported to the relevant authorities. Additionally, a spokesman for the agency noted that the results of the research "are not representative of the wider food industry".
