The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that about 29 beef samples were found to be positive for the horsemeat, out of the 2501 beef samples that were tested in response to the ongoing horsemeat contamination scandal.
The agency noted that about 2472 of the samples (almost 99%) were negative for the presence of horse DNA at or above the level of 1%.
However, 29 samples, relating to seven products, were positive for the presence of undeclared horse meat at or above a level of 1%. About 950 tests are still in progress.
The FSA said that it has been working with trade bodies in the food industry to collate these results as quickly as possible, to get an accurate picture of the testing being carried out across the UK food chain.
This testing was conducted after FSA asked the food industry to conduct authenticity tests on their composite beef products, such as burgers, lasagnes and meatballs, in light of the recent horse meat issue. The samples were carried out on both raw ingredients and final products, and taken from a range of manufacturers, catering suppliers, wholesalers, producers and retailers across the UK
FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said that the test results show that in the vast majority of cases the results so far are showing that no horse DNA is present in the foods tested.
"But this is still far from the full picture and we expect industry to continue to supply us with regular updates on their testing regime," Brown added.
