And the new health food is... horse, page 2

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

---

No, I don't believe it is coincidence that this comes up at this point in time- as I said, the subject of horsemeat is in the forefront, naturally the media will use whatever topics have to do with horsemeat then.

But my point is that looking at this angle on the subject helps to separate and distinguish the issues.

For example, the issue of the mislabelling is about mislabelling. And yet for some people, who let their emotions guide their choices and actions, they have a learned repulsion inside to the idea of eating horse, which is fueling their discontent even MORE then the fact that they were lied to!

That repulsion is emotional- it is irrational, or at best, personal preference- and it will not get anyone far in a lawsuit and it actually serves to muddle peoples minds.

So I find it beneficial that we work on neutralizing the irrational emotional parts, so that minds will be better equipped to fight. Get over the "Ew Yucky" and back to the actual issue!
"Deny Ignorance" and all that ..... becoming informed and educated often aids with such conditioned irrational reactions.

reply to post by Trackhunter

---

omg no way. I would never eat horse meat. Bad enough a lot of race horses that don't cut the mustard end up at the doggers.

sad.

reply to post by PsykoOps

---

Nope. Not here at least. There is less demand, but that is partly why it is more expensive.

The meat that was in those products did not come from stock bred and raised for consumption. They came from slaughterhouses in Poland and Romania, that slaughter anything without discretion.

Even beef from those countries is cheaper because sanitary norms are not respected- we're talking animals that have been fed and injected with all kinds of substances, and in some cases are slaughtered because they are diseased!

If nothing else, this should wake up the consumer- not to the fact that they may have eaten a horsie,
but that these processed products contain meat (even beef, chicken, pork, whatever..) that would be judged unfit for human consumption in most countries. That is why it is "junk meat", no matter what animal it came from.

THIS is the kind of thing people would do better to focus on instead! Did anyone consider that the companies find it in their favor that everyone focuses on the ew factor that it was horse and NOT on the fact that it was infected, diseased, and chemical filled meat?


Actually, on second thought, I remembered that the US and EU are in conflict over sanitary and phytosanitary measures in regards to meat- in the US, hormone treatments are legal, as are GMO's and many other things.
So perhaps americans are so used to that stuff it simply is not an issue for them.
In Europe the issue is different.

On the world markets horse meat is cheaper than beef. Beef has been increasing in value alot.
Also none of the test I've read about had any health issues discovered so these were normal horse meat from poland and romania.

global auction price for beef has topped $5,300 (£3,500) a tonne.
Horsemeat, by contrast, currently costs about $1,200 a tonne.

Just one Source.

The meat was not tested for everything. For example growth hormone treatments, antibiotics......
What it had been tested for was bacteria and infection that could occur during or after the slaughtering process.
Only in the case of Findus were tests done for Bute.

"The meat company explains that it “bought horses from farmers when animals reached the end of their working life or families could not afford to care for them” and “That had happened more frequently during the economic downturn.”

-YaleGlobal
yaleglobal.yale.edu...

Some experts and UK government officials have raised concerns that horse meat from Romania could be contaminated with equine infectious anemia (EIA).
Although EIA does not pose a risk to humans, it could be an indicator of additional health problems in horses that may stem from poor living conditions.
Since 2007, the European Union has restricted export of live horses from Romania to any other EU member state unless the animals have a Coggins test for EIA prior to export.
Environment secretary Owen Paterson stated that "Romanian horse meat is not allowed in", though he acknowledged concern if Romanian horse meat had been imported from animals with EIA.

en.wikipedia.org...

For those who do not know what Bute is-

Phenylbutazone
Concerns arose over the possibility of horse meat containing traces of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone entering the human food chain, although horses which have been treated with it may not legally be supplied for human consumption.
The drug, commonly known as bute, is used as an analgesic in horses.
Phenylbutazone is used therapeutically in humans as a treatment for ankylosing spondylitis when other treatments are not suitable. The effect on humans of low-level exposure over an extended period has not been extensively formally studied. High incidences of focal necrosis were found in female rats fed low doses of 1,2-diphenylhydrazine over time. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) residues risk causing rare, but potentially fatal side-effects in humans.

A subsequent review of 206 horse carcasses slaughtered in the UK between 30 January and 7 February 2013 found eight were contaminated with phenylbutazone, six of which had been shipped to France.

There is also speculation that some horse meat from the United States, where phenylbutazone is commonly used, may have entered the food chain via Mexico and then been exported to Europe.
One reason for this is that Spanghero had purchased meat from a company, Draap, whose owner, Jan Fasen was previously convicted for fraud; as long ago as 2007, Draap had labelled horse meat imported from Mexico and South America as Dutch or German beef.

The primary concern is horse meat from the United States: up to 15% of horses sent to slaughter in Canada or Mexico are former racehorses that have been given drugs during their racing career, such as phenylbutazone, which are approved for use in horses but not humans and carry the warning "Do not use in horses intended for human consumption." Further, they are given medication at levels that led a research veterinarian to call them "walking pharmacies". These animals may have meat too toxic to eat safely.

Inquiry into horse meat sources in the UK also revealed that Aintree racecourse has a contract with a licensed slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire to remove dead Grand National race horses. It is illegal for horses euthanized by injection to be put into the human food chain. Many chemical agents used for animal euthanasia leave residues in the meat which may be harmful to humans, and have caused sickness and death in animal predators and scavengers. "

^There's the cheaper "junk meat"- which is so because we make it so- not because it is it's nature.

Pokemon discovered in Venezuela
  Posted 14 days ago with 47 member flags

89-Year-Old Man Develops Bladeless Bird-Friendly Wind Turbine
  Posted 11 days ago with 45 member flags

Amazing snowflake images that you have never seen before.
  Posted 14 days ago with 44 member flags

Energy Solutions THEY don\'t want you to know about
  Posted 14 days ago with 35 member flags

High speed video reveals the bizarre physics of an ordinary water droplet
  Posted 4 days ago with 32 member flags

Does this video show a working self propelled magnetic engine?
  Posted 7 days ago with 31 member flags

Viruses: alive or not?
  Posted 11 days ago with 30 member flags

NASA reveals secrets it has hidden on the Curiosity rover.
  Posted 17 days ago with 29 member flags

Newest topics, updated in real-time:

Newest topics getting flags, in real-time:

Newest topics getting replies, in real-time: