Horsemeat issue rears its head again after EU seizures

FOOD SAFETY authorities across Europe are on high alert for a possible upsurge in food fraud after two shipments of horsemeat were seized recently.

The fraudulent shipments were held in Denmark and the Netherlands, with the EU’s rapid alert food safety system (RASFF) claiming that one shipment was intended for “unauthorised placing on the market”.

EU authorities have warned that the recent disruption of food supply chains due to Covid-19 is creating the perfect conditions for food fraud.

In 2013 the EU food sector was rocked by the horsemeat scandal which erupted after the Food Safety Authority of Ireland discovered traces of equine DNA in burgers supplied to supermarkets.

The controversy resulted in meat products being pulled from supermarket shelves across several EU countries, including Ireland, with the scandal affecting meat, frozen food and fast-food outlets.

Although EU regulations around food traceability were strengthened in the wake of the 2013 scandal, there are growing fears that Covid-19 has provided criminals with a perfect opportunity to exploit supply difficulties.

Food sector commentators said significant imbalances in product supplies were already evident due to the impact of Covid-19 on processor output, allied to the collapse in the food-service trade.

Increased activity by buyers on food commodity spot markets meant supply chains were exposed to a greater degree of exploitation in the current pandemic.

The Food Safety Authority in Britain admitted recently that it was working with other law enforcement partners and with the food industry to identify “possible opportunities” for food fraud.