Horse meat latest: ABP names its Irish supplier

06-Feb-2013 - Last updated on 07-Feb-2013 at 17:48 GMT

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Silvercrest Foods purchased beef products containing horse DNA from Poland 'in good faith', said its parent company

ABP Food Group, the parent company of Silvercrest Foods – which supplied beef burgers contaminated with horse DNA to Tesco, Burger King and the Co-operative Group – has named Irish meat trader McAdam Food Service as its meat supplier.

ABP confirmed in a statement: “Silvercrest purchased Polish beef products from McAdams Food Service.

“It appears now that, while Silvercrest purchased these beef products in good faith, horse DNA originating in Poland was present in some of these products.”

Originating in Poland

ABP Food Group said that about 170t of beef products were bought from McAdam compared with total purchases last year of 18,000t.

“ABP Food Group continues to co-operate fully with the competent authorities in the investigation,” it said.

A spokesman for McAdam told FoodManufacture.co.uk the firm disputed ABP’s version of the tonnages involved. He said the firm had “no awareness or knowledge whatsoever of any possibility of there being equine content in meat products imported and supplied by McAdam to any other company.”

Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency confirmed the presence of beef products containing horse DNA at Freeza Meats storage in Northern Ireland yesterday (February 6).

Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness said: “If there was criminal activity, the police should investigate.”

More follows.