Greencore shares fell 9.5% in London today, following the withdrawal of its “Chosen By You,” 500g Beef Bolognese Sauce by the British supermarket & online grocery chain Asda, due to the presence of equine DNA.
Greencore Foods have admitted that it was the possible supplier of Bolognese Sauce which contained horse meat.
Asda state that the suspect sauce contained meat that was supplied to Greencore under contract by the ABP Food Group’s Nenagh plant here in Co Tipperary, an approved supplier. This now brings Larry Goodman’s ABP group once more under the spotlight, with Silvercrest Foods in Monaghan remaining closed, as investigations there continue.
Greencore state that it is waiting for test results to quantify how much equine DNA was present in the sauce. Three other Greencore products 600g Beef Broth Soup, 500g Meat Feast Pasta Sauce, & 400g Chilli Con Carne Soup, are also understood to have also been withdrawn by the same grocery chain, but only as a precautionary measure to protect its customers.
Greencore’s Chief Executive, Mr Patrick Coveney, brother of Agriculture Minister Mr Simon Coveney, said the company was waiting for the results of further quantitative tests & were complying fully with both suppliers and FSA testers, in their attempt to get to the bottom of this beef contamination & restore customer confidence.
Meanwhile authorities in Britain and France are attempting to trace the carcasses of six horses containing the drug Phenylbutazone, (also known as “bute,”) all of which were slaughtered at a UK abattoir and may have entered the human food chain in France, where horse meat is commonly consumed.
The Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has also stated that a cold stores in Naas, Co Kildare has informed his department this week that consignments of frozen beef trimmings imported from Poland, had tested, in part, positive for horse DNA. However the implicated company have confirmed that none of this consignment had, as yet, reached the consumer market place.
Today is officially Shrove Tuesday, ‘Shrove,’ being the past tense of the English verb ‘Shrive,’ meaning the day before Ash Wednesday & on which Christians obtain absolution for personal sin, prior to the start of the solemn observance of Lent.
The period called Lent is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, in commemoration of the forty days which, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert. Lent this year begins on Wednesday, February 13th and ends on Saturday, March 30th.
Of course Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day, because it is the day Irish people traditionally eat pancakes. Pancake recipes in the past were observed as a way of using up any unused stocks of milk, butter and eggs which were often forbidden as part of Lenten abstinence.
The French term ‘Mardi Gras,’ which we associate more with a Carnival season, means ‘Fat Tuesday,’ referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods, before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.
Required Ingredients For Pancake Batter
225g or 8 oz of plain flour. A pinch of salt. 2 large, fresh eggs. 600ml or 2½ cupfuls of milk. 2 tsp of melted butter.
Sieve the measured flour into a large bowl & then stir in the salt. Lightly beat together the eggs, the 2 tsp of butter & half the milk. Pour same into a prepared well in the centre of your flour and whisk until smooth and lump free. This completed, now add the remaining milk to this batter and continue to stir. Leave the batter to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Next heat your frying pan and lightly grease the base of same with extra melted butter for cooking. Pour a thin layer of your batter over the base of the pan. Cook until the edges start to curl slightly back, then depending on your culinary skills, either toss the pancake, or use a palette knife to loosen it around the edges and to flip your pancake over.
Cook the pancake briefly on this flipped new side, then slide it from the pan unto to a waiting plate, placing a sheet of kitchen paper on top & between each pancake. Continue to cook your remaining batter in similar fashion.
Pancakes were traditionally eaten, spread with honey or with syrup, nowadays we are more inclined to sprinkle with sugar and add perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice. Your pancakes however can be filled with just about anything, e.g. Jam, chocolate spread, crispy streaky rashers, scrambled eggs & smoked salmon, canned cherry pie filling, fried sliced bananas, ice cream, cream cheese ……. whatever you fancy.
On the eve of Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney giving a briefing to politicians on the recent horse meat controversy associated with Silvercrest Foods, a second Irish meat processing plant has now tested positive for traces of equine DNA in raw ingredient. Test results have now confirmed that raw material ingredients at Rangeland Foods, Castleblaney, in Co Monaghan are also contaminated and the company has suspended production.
The Department of Agriculture has confirmed findings of 75% DNA in the companies raw ingredients at the plant. This investigation is focusing on the overall supply chain, and the link to the meat trader concerned and others, who initially facilitated the purchase of this product transfer to manufacturers here in Ireland.
These findings come just days after ABP Food Group, owned by Mr Larry Goodman, lost an estimated €45 million in Supermarket contracts to Aldi, Tesco, Burger King and the Co-Operative Group.
Rangeland Foods, established in 1892, employ some 80 staff & have an estimated turnover of some €18million. Production has been suspended at Rangeland and the company state that none of this product has yet entered the food chain.
Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has requested Gardaí to join his investigation teams, in an effort to discover whether similar produce has now been used in other meat processing plants.
Supermacs, who have a retail outlet here in Thurles, are buyers of beef burgers from Rangeland Foods, however the former retail “Fast Food Chain” claim to carry out their own independent DNA testing, thus ensuring that the burgers they retail are 100% Irish beef and devoid of equine DNA.
Ireland’s reputation as a producer of high quality food is now in question, in relation to all types of processed meat products currently on sale in our Supermarkets & Fast Food Outlets.
This type of produce is regularly the choice of low income families, whose normal bread winners are currently unemployed. Is there no end to what we are prepared to attempt in order to maximise company profits? Time to return to the high street local family butcher. Time for the Department of Agriculture to name names and allow heads to roll publicly.
The Food Safety Authority (FSA) have confirmed that Beef Burgers, containing Horse Meat & Pig DNA, have been on sale widely in supermarkets Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland over Christmas.
Tesco, Dunnes, Lidl & Aldi all have outlets here in Thurles and this disclosure is now observed as a major blow to the reputation of the Irish food industry & methods used by wholesalers & manufactures with regards to accurate traceability.
The FSA analysed a total of 27 Beef Burger products and found horse DNA in over one third of these products, while 85% of the 27 products also tested positive for pig DNA. These products were produced by two processing plants here in Ireland namely Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods and also one processing plant in the UK, namely Dalepak Hambleton. Other products like Cottage Pie are understood to also have been identified & found contaminated. The problem is understood to have been identified last November in supermarkets & not in the manufacturing plants where Department of Agriculture vets are employed to identify traceability.
One sample analysed from the supermarket chain ‘Tesco,’ accounted to 29% of Horse meat in the content, however the Food Safety authority state the findings posed no threat to public health.
Aldi Stores (Ireland) have now removed their “Oakhurst Beef Burgers,” (8 pack) from their shelves and have launched an investigation into the matter, seeking information from one particular supplier, Silvercrest Foods. They now state that any customers who return this questionable product, to their stores nationwide, will receive an immediate refund.
Now I understand what my Granny was saying when she spoke about “Horses for Courses.”
The new ‘Subway Restaurant & Sandwich Bar,’ this lunchtime celebrated their 9,000th customer, averaging an incredible 290 customers per day visiting their premises, which is situated (See Map Below) on the junction of Friar Street at Westgate & Liberty Square in the town, thus having taking possession of the previously vacant & exited premises known as ‘Hallmark.’
‘Subway,’ officially opened their doors, in Thurles, just 31 days ago, but these customer figures, above stated, are hardly surprising since this premises bakes its own bread, (fresh daily in store,) and prides itself on supplying to its customers a fast, healthy, low calorie menu option.
A family run business, this new & attractive Thurles ‘Subway,’ outlet, with seating to accommodate over 30 people, first opened in December 2012 last, following on from the success of their Nenagh outlet, latter which won the coveted ‘Subway Store of the Year Award,’ in 2011.
The restaurant currently employs nine fully trained staff under Manageress Mary Jane Everitt and where possible, a strict policy exists ensuring all produce sold (e.g. meats & salads etc.) are sourced from within County Tipperary.
There are 9 nutritious Subway Meals on offer, carefully chosen to include a drink, costing just €4.00 or €6.00 inclusive, making this Restaurant & Salad Bar an ideal “port of call,” for local students, business people & their employees, all anxious to combine varied regulated lunch breaks, with shopping in the town.
Already other local shops in the vicinity are reporting increased ‘footfall,’ due to their presence in this area.
‘Subway,’ now also caters for business events, parties etc. both in-store & out from their Thurles outlet.
Information: For further information regarding ‘Subway Services,’ – Telephone 0504-26598.
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Greencore shares fell 9.5% in London today, following the withdrawal of its “Chosen By You,” 500g Beef Bolognese Sauce by the British supermarket & online grocery chain Asda, due to the presence of equine DNA.
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