QK Meats, the Naas-based company blamed for supplying product containing horse meat to Bird’s Eye, has said it never knowingly incorporated horse meat into any of its beef products.
In a message to its customers yesterday, Bird’s Eye said its investigation had found that meat from two of its products which tested positive for horse meat, came from QK Meats.
Ready meals
Bird’s Eye withdrew three ready meals – spaghetti bolognese, beef lasagne and shepherd’s pie – on February 22nd which were made by Dutch company Frigilunch NV after horse DNA was found in a product sold by Frigilunch NV in Belgium.
Tests subsequently found between 5 and 7 per cent horse DNA in the spaghetti bolognese and lasagne but no trace of horse DNA in the shepherd’s pie. Yesterday, Bird’s Eye said its investigations had found that Frigilunch NV “was itself supplied meat with horse in it by an Irish meat processor QK Meats. Frigilunch NV’s own independent tests and investigation have confirmed our findings. We have reported these findings to the FSAI and Frigilunch NV has taken immediate action and suspended them as a supplier of meat.”
It said all other meat suppliers to Frigilunch NV had been given the all clear.
A statement from QK Meats said the company had been operating for the past 25 years “and has an exemplary record in terms of food quality and safety standards”.
It continued: “Following the discovery of equine DNA in product allegedly supplied by QK Meats to Frigilunch NV, a supplier to Bird’s Eye, QK Meats has launched a full investigation into its supply chain.”
It added that QK Meats was a fully accredited EU licensed facility. QK Meats is part of the Arrow Group which owns QK Cold Stores. The cold store was named by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney last month after it had notified his department that it found horse meat in frozen beef trimmings imported from Poland.
Cottage pies
The Arrow Group also owns Dawn Fresh Foods. It too was linked with the horse meat scandal last month when its UK division Oak Farm Foods was found to have produced cottage pies containing horse meat, which were withdrawn from schools by Lancashire County Council.
Bird’s Eye also said yesterday it had completed a comprehensive DNA-testing programme on all its beef products.
“We have now tested all products multiple times through multiple samples over a period of four weeks.
“During this process none of our Bird’s Eye beef burgers, beef pies and traditional beef dinners tested positive for horse DNA. In total we have tested 250 products across Europe and confirmed three products as containing horse meat.”
