October 31, 2013 3.54 pm This story is over 125 months old

Horsemeat found in tinned beef in Lincolnshire

More horsemeat: Lincolnshire Trading Standards found horse DNA in a tinned product during routine testing.
The sample from the Grantham store was found to have 1% to 5% horse DNA. Photo: LCC

Horsemeat has been detected in tinned beef that was on sale at shops in Lincolnshire.

The horse DNA strains were found in meat being sold by Home Bargains and Quality Save, discount food and homeware stores.

There are neither of these stores in Lincoln. The contaminated tinned beef was found at the Home Bargains in Grantham. Home Bargains also have a store in Scunthorpe.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the DNA was detected in Food Hall Sliced Beef in Rich Gravy, which is manufactured in Romania.

The product, which contained between 1% and 5% horsemeat, has since been withdrawn from sale.

The FSA said the horse DNA was discovered during routine testing carried out in September by Lincolnshire County Council trading standards officers with products from the Grantham store.

The County Council is working with the FSA as part of a national sampling programme.

The tinned product did not contain any of the veterinary painkiller bute.

However, it was discovered that the tinned beef affected was old stock from the beginning of the year, and all current stock, and other meat produce on sale in the store, contained no traces of horse DNA.

An FSA spokesman said: “The FSA has been informed that a batch of canned sliced beef that was found to contain horse DNA has been withdrawn from sale.

“The affected batch has been withdrawn from sale. If you have this product stored you are advised to return it to where you bought it.

“The affected batch has a best before date of January 2016 and a batch code of 13.04.C.”

Lincolnshire Trading Standards said: “Officers carried out routine food testing in September 2013 as part of a national Food Standards Agency sampling programme after horse meat was found in food for sale earlier this year.

“During this process, a batch of canned sliced beef from Home Bargains in Grantham was found to contain horse DNA, and was withdrawn from sale. Horse meat is not identified in the ingredients list and therefore should not have been present in the product.”