Frozen food producer Birds Eye has announced that horsemeat contamination in some of its products in UK and Ireland was caused as a result of the meat supplied by Irish meat processor QK.
In February, testing revealed that Birds Eye spaghetti bolognese, 340g, and beef lasagne, 400g, contained horse DNA. Following this, Birds Eye recalled these products from the supermarket shelves in UK and Ireland.
Birds Eye noted that its investigations have revealed that the contaminated products were sourced from Dutch company Frigilunch, which was itself supplied meat with horse in it by QK Meats.
The company said that it has reported these findings to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), while Frigilunch has taken immediate action and suspended them as a supplier of meat.
The company also has introduced a new on-going triple lock DNA testing programme to ensure that the products are free from horsemeat.
Meanwhile, QK Meats said it had 'never knowingly incorporated horsemeat into any of its beef products', and added that launched a full investigation into its supply chain.
