The Aldi Horse Meat Scandal That Plagued The Chain For Years - Tasting Table

"The story started at the end of 2012, when food safety regulators in Ireland uncovered hamburgers being sold as beef that tested positive for horse DNA. While the initial results were only in burgers, and the horse meat was mostly in small amounts, the report set off a media firestorm over the safety and transparency of meat supply chains in Europe."

"Tests on two ready-made frozen meals it carried, "beef" lasagna and a spaghetti Bolognese, showed they contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. Other major retailers including the British company Tesco also had products test positive for horse meat, along with grocery chains in France, Sweden, and the Netherlands."

"None of the chains had been privy to what, exactly, was in the food they were buying from suppliers, because even the suppliers thought they were selling beef. How could this happen? Well, food supply chains were, and still are, opaque."

In late 2012, Irish food safety regulators discovered hamburgers sold as beef contained horse DNA, triggering widespread investigation across European retailers. Testing revealed horse meat in products from multiple major chains including Aldi, Tesco, and retailers in France, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Aldi's frozen lasagna and spaghetti Bolognese contained between 30% and 100% horse meat. The contamination resulted from opaque food supply chains where neither retailers nor their suppliers knew the true contents of products being sold. No evidence suggested intentional mislabeling by retailers; rather, suppliers themselves were unaware they were selling horse meat as beef.

Read at Tasting Table