Horsemeat rears its head again, as firm is fined £5,000

Enfield-based Expo Foods Ltd admitted breaching the Food Safety Act before Dartford magistrates court, according to media reports.

Kent trading standards officers had originally found the Bulgarian-cured sausage during spot checks in Dartford last year.

Sensitivities amongst public​

Richard Strawson, trading standards manager at Kent County Council, said: “We are aware of the sensitivities amongst the public concerning eating horsemeat and therefore feel our actions were necessary.”​

The company was also ordered to pay £2,500 in costs.

Expo Foods Ltd has since withdrawn the product from sale while working with Kent County Council and the Food Standards Agency and has made changes to its supplier network.

The firm was unavailable for comment.

It supplies a number of ethnic food products, including ranges from Europe, Turkey and the Middle East throughout the UK.

The adulteration of meat products with horsemeat first hit the headlines​ after the Food Safety Authority of Ireland analysed 27 beef burgers stocked in stores in the UK and Ireland and found that 10 contained horse DNA and three contained pig DNA.