FSA issues warning over BSE-infected cheap beef

19 October 2000 by
FSA issues warning over BSE-infected cheap beef

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has urged caterers to be wary if they are offered cheap beef from non-traditional sources, as legal loopholes mean BSE-infected meat could still be reaching the market.

Anecdotal evidence points the finger at farmers and unlicensed abattoirs, which are allowed to kill cattle for their own use without having to comply with the BSE controls introduced 11 years ago.

"As a result of private kills, it is possible meat which has not passed, or been subjected to, BSE controls may be getting into the human food chain," said an FSA spokesman.

The FSA is urging caterers to make sure they buy from reliable sources and to check that the carcasses have been stamped with the BSE health mark, which shows they have passed BSE controls.

Ian McKerracher, chief executive of the Restaurant Association, had few worries that BSE-contaminated meat might be reaching restaurants. He said most restaurants relied on quality beef from reliable sources.

The FSA said there had been 82 definite or probable cases of vCJD, the human version of BSE, recorded up to September.

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking