[Mrs Teapot]

Originally Posted by Soundbox

What I want to know is why in such a huge business as meat has no-one here in the UK who distributes the stuff never gone and looked at exactly where it comes from?

Having worked in the safety business everything had to be accountable so why is it not here?

Did no-one from the supermarkets ever go and look at the animals they were serving us?

We need some 'men from Del-Monte' types whos wages will be nothing compared to the saving on all this rigmarole.

People saw a loophole and took advantage, there was obviously a lack of attention somewhere in the food pipe line.

[Soundbox]

Originally Posted by Mrs Teapot

People saw a loophole and took advantage, there was obviously a lack of attention somewhere in the food pipe line.

Probably right though I think that if something like this is going on and has been found out just think what is going on now and is yet to be found out? I have lost faith in what people tell me now.

[The Wizard]

Originally Posted by Mrs Teapot

Whilst I see your points I don't agree with them if that makes sense.

I have, at times, recalled stories of how the Russians virtually starved in the past War, I think WW2 and they at times boiled anything in water to create a flavour as a substitute for the lack of food, what a dire situation but....

This is a fraud, there will no doubt be people within this fraud making money and sitting back laughing, that is wrong. That is not people 'making do' that is people ripping people and other industries/business off and getting away with it. They are taking the piss to put it bluntly.

If we sit back and say that it does not matter then we make way for others to do the same or even worse. We are not on rationing, we are not in a war situation, we are in a consumer world in which companies are out to make money and profits. Let us have what we pay for and don't anyone tell me that it is just the lower priced stuff that this effects, I've not believed that for one minute and await the full scale reveals

Aha but people want cheap food because prices are rocketing and unless they want to pay premium price for top quality 100% beef they have to put up with cheap substitutes. Yes they shouldn't have mislead anyone but when you pay 99p for for a cottage pie do you really expect quality steak mince? The only way companies can get decent quality meat at a super low price is by substituting it for meat that people turn their nose up at. If they branded it as offal or horsemeat would anybody buy it? People are actually better off being ignorant sometimes.

Fine, have your top quality pure beef but don't complain when your paying £4 a pound for it and not £1.75 a pound or whatever. You only get what you pay for.

[francie]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Aha but people want cheap food because prices are rocketing and unless they want to pay premium price for top quality 100% beef they have to put up with cheap substitutes. Yes they shouldn't have mislead anyone but when you pay 99p for for a cottage pie do you really expect quality steak mince? The only way companies can get decent quality meat at a super low price is by substituting it for meat that people turn their nose up at. If they branded it as offal or horsemeat would anybody buy it? People are actually better off being ignorant sometimes.

Fine, have your top quality pure beef but don't complain when your paying £4 a pound for it and not £1.75 a pound or whatever. You only get what you pay for.

I'd rather know what I'm eating and paying for thanks - that way It would be my choice.

[walterwhite]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

I really don't know what all the fuss is about. AFAIK no tests have come back with traces of the bute drug and the minister has gone on the record as saying even if humans did consume it, they would have to consume an absolute shed load of it before it would become hazardous to their health.

Basically the only problem here seems to be that horsemeat is being passed off as beef and not whether it's actually unsafe. From tests so far it would appear that the meat is perfectly safe to eat. Given the choice I would not have a problem eating horse but the problem is, people are so fussy that if supermarkets started selling (safe) horsemeat in products and labelling it as such then the British public wont eat it because they have this stigma about eating horse. Yet stick it in a cottage pie, don't tell em and they'll happily scoff it all down. People are way too fussy and make such issues and turn their noses up at anything yet they'll eat it providing they don't know any better. Probably the same people that throw stuff away the minute it goes past it's sell by date or has a tiny bit of mould on it yet cut the mould off and give it them they wouldn't know any different.

Gawd knows what half of you lot would do if we ever hit world war 3 and we had to live off offal and other forms of meat or even live off game or revert to preparing our own meat. I think half of you would starve.

The horse meat hasn't been through any safety checks, god knows what diseases they were carrying.

[walterwhite]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Aha but people want cheap food because prices are rocketing and unless they want to pay premium price for top quality 100% beef they have to put up with cheap substitutes. Yes they shouldn't have mislead anyone but when you pay 99p for for a cottage pie do you really expect quality steak mince? The only way companies can get decent quality meat at a super low price is by substituting it for meat that people turn their nose up at. If they branded it as offal or horsemeat would anybody buy it? People are actually better off being ignorant sometimes.

Fine, have your top quality pure beef but don't complain when your paying £4 a pound for it and not £1.75 a pound or whatever. You only get what you pay for.

I don't expect it to be top quality beef, I do expect it to be beef though as would 99% of consumers.

[Mrs Teapot]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

Aha but people want cheap food because prices are rocketing and unless they want to pay premium price for top quality 100% beef they have to put up with cheap substitutes. Yes they shouldn't have mislead anyone but when you pay 99p for for a cottage pie do you really expect quality steak mince? The only way companies can get decent quality meat at a super low price is by substituting it for meat that people turn their nose up at. If they branded it as offal or horsemeat would anybody buy it? People are actually better off being ignorant sometimes.

Fine, have your top quality pure beef but don't complain when your paying £4 a pound for it and not £1.75 a pound or whatever. You only get what you pay for.

I have never once known anyone say "I want cheap food" what I have seen is supermarkets/companies battling with each other to lower prices to entice consumers, that is an entirely different situation. If people choose a product because it better suits their purse then they should be safe in the knowledge that it at least fits what it says on the label. It's worrying that an unregulated meat can enter the food chain without any type of testing.

It's now apparent that this is not just a personal shoppers problem but one that is affecting people eating in public places too, I'm sure patient A with loads of money next to Patient B who is a bit skint will receive the same meal.

[The Wizard]

Originally Posted by walterwhite

I don't expect it to be top quality beef, I do expect it to be beef though as would 99% of consumers.

OK so if you found out that those ready meals you were eating were made from 100% cows lips would you still buy it? I don't think most people would.

I wasn't disputing that people should have been up front and honest with people but my point is, even if they were then people still wouldn't buy it. If you had a pack of cheap value burgers and the ingredients said it was made from ground up cows ears and intestine, do you honestly think anyone would eat it? It's alright being 100% pure beef but that still doesn't mean your eating the best cuts of meat.

The tests have so far all come back as safe and the horsemeat which was in the food has been found to be non harmful to humans so lets not go blowing stuff out of proportion here. The main issue is not whether it's safe as that's already been established. The problem is, people don't like being told they're eating one type of meat when they are getting something else but I think it's the fact that it's horse which has caused such and uproar because of the stigma British people have about eating it. If say it was lamb passed off as beef I don't think people would be half as outraged. But like I say, start telling people what's really in their food and half the public wouldn't eat it. Ground up bone and cows eyeballs, yum yum!

[walterwhite]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

OK so if you found out that those ready meals you were eating were made from 100% cows lips would you still buy it? I don't think most people would.

I wasn't disputing that people should have been up front and honest with people but my point is, even if they were then people still wouldn't buy it. If you had a pack of cheap value burgers and the ingredients said it was made from ground up cows ears and intestine, do you honestly think anyone would eat it? It's alright being 100% pure beef but that still doesn't mean your eating the best cuts of meat.

Yes I would. I suspect they are made of similar. I've been eating doner kebabs for years and christ knows what's in them.

[The Wizard]

Personally I'd prefer to eat safe quality horsemeat over cows lips and ground up intestine anyday. I would have liked to see it introduced as a cheaper alternative to beef but after recent events I can't see that ever happening. I'd definitely buy it. Had it in Paris and it was far nicer and more tender than beef. Obviously it can't be that bad if people have been eating it and not noticing. Give me a nice piece of chaval over a Donna kebab anyday.

[hooter]

Originally Posted by walterwhite

The horse meat hasn't been through any safety checks, god knows what diseases they were carrying.

Apparently the ones we`ve eaten that are imported from Romania are rift with disease...now there`s a surprise....errrrrrrrrr...NOT!

[Hotgossip]

There was a butcher on TV this morning urging people to only buy from butchers shops because they can be guaranteed of the quality as it's all traceable. He proudly showed a wacking great joint of beef (about 3ft long) and the tag which was attached which showed its origin and its journey before it got to the butchers.

That got me thinking and maybe somebody can explain. That's all fine and dandy but when I go into a butchers shop and choose my piece of meat they are already all cut up into smaller joints and they certainly don't have any tags on.

[~Twinkle~]

Originally Posted by Hotgossip

There was a butcher on TV this morning urging people to only buy from butchers shops because they can be guaranteed of the quality as it's all traceable. He proudly showed a wacking great joint of beef (about 3ft long) and the tag which was attached which showed its origin and its journey before it got to the butchers.

That got me thinking and maybe somebody can explain. That's all fine and dandy but when I go into a butchers shop and choose my piece of meat they are already all cut up into smaller joints and they certainly don't have any tags on. :confused:

I suppose you could always ask your butcher to go into his storeroom and drag out a whole carcass and then order him to remove the small joint that you require whilst you watch.

Sorry, but the rolleyes is the only suitable Smilie for my reply.

[Tourista]

Originally Posted by Hotgossip

That got me thinking and maybe somebody can explain. That's all fine and dandy but when I go into a butchers shop and choose my piece of meat they are already all cut up into smaller joints and they certainly don't have any tags on.

Um, do what I do and have a chat with your butcher. I am sure they will be happy to cut a joint in front of you if you are worried about its "provenence".

[The Wizard]

If we bred horses for meat in this country and farmed them like we do cows and had proper safe control then we probably wouldn't be in this situation. We could be having horsemeat in our stews and bollagnese as a cheaper alternative but typical British people will turn their noses up at anything.

All this is gonna do now is push the price of food right up. It's gonna cost more money to inspect the food at source and make sure it's fit and safe and is what it says it is. Making sure it's all British and non imported cheap rubbish is again gonna be expensive to produce so something has to give. Either well have to see an end to the cheapo ready meal or the price is gonna have to go up which may put people off buying them.

People will have to go back to buying their meat from a local butcher, farm shop or abatoir and go back to making stuff themselves. I made a cottage pie yesterday for around £4 and it will do 4 meals and is a lot nicer and healthier than those cheap £1 ready meals. In fact it's probably nicer than the expensive ready meals.

Our local abattoir is ace. For less than £20 you can fill a carrier bag with 2lb of steak mince, 2lb diced stewing steak, half a dozen chicken fillets, and a couple of rump steaks and you can stand there and watch them cut it up and prepare it while you wait and if you've got a dog he'll even throw in a free treat for him. From now on this is the way I'm gonna buy my meat and what's even better is that it's on the way to Tesco so I'm not having to go out of my way.

[~Twinkle~]

Originally Posted by The Wizard

If we bred horses for meat in this country and farmed them like we do cows and had proper safe control then we probably wouldn't be in this situation. We could be having horsemeat in our stews and bollagnese as a cheaper alternative but typical British people will turn their noses up at anything.

All this is gonna do now is push the price of food right up. It's gonna cost more money to inspect the food at source and make sure it's fit and safe and is what it says it is. Making sure it's all British and non imported cheap rubbish is again gonna be expensive to produce so something has to give. Either well have to see an end to the cheapo ready meal or the price is gonna have to go up which may put people off buying them.

People will have to go back to buying their meat from a local butcher, farm shop or abatoir and go back to making stuff themselves. I made a cottage pie yesterday for around £4 and it will do 4 meals and is a lot nicer and healthier than those cheap £1 ready meals. In fact it's probably nicer than the expensive ready meals.

Sometimes, you talk a lot of sense but I take issue with your statement that, " typical British people will turn their noses up at anything.". That's not true, it's just not the norm for us to eat horse meat, just as we don't choose to eat dog. Horses and dogs are our friends, we work alongside each other and we don't expect to have to eat these animals. They aren't farmed here for our consumption, unlike beef, lamb and pork. Maybe it's a cultural thing, British culture doesn't accept horse in our diets.

As for the subject of ready meals, I cook from scratch and always have done so, even when I worked full time, but that was down to my upbringing and doing what my mother did. In her day, the only convenience food was fish fingers but we were never fed them because mother always bought our fish from the fishmonger. Sadly, there aren't many of those left except for inside supermarkets.

What I can't get my head around is those who say they don't have time to cook. Maybe, if they shopped wisely once a week, they'd save enough time during their day to cook a meal from scratch by not wasting valuable minutes to visit the freezer section of their preferred supermarket to select a ready meal and, instead, went straight home with time enough to cook a meal from what was in their fridge, or even freezer, if they'd taken time to plan a menu and remove the frozen required food item from the freezer to defrost whilst they were out at work earning their living.

A spag bol can be cooked in thirty minutes, probably quicker than having to go to the shop to buy one, getting home and then shoving it in the microwave. Which would I prefer? The one I cooked myself because I know exactly what went into it. No horsemeat, no eyeballs, no cows' lips or other unmentionable animal parts. No reclaimed meat, just good steak mince, an onion, tomato, tomato puree, garlic and oregano with a handful of sliced mushrooms for good measure. Expensive? Not at all. Good? You bet your life that it is.

[Creamtea]

I bet the media have been tugging themsves blind at the anticipation of this horse meat thing specifically hitting schools. "Won't somebody think of the children!!!!". I'm afraid my outrage-o-meter is barely registering above a p!ss dribble over this latest turn of events.

[zounds]

Horses for courses.