Where's the beef?

So the cat's out of the bag – or should I say the horse has bolted? Either way it has become painfully clear that a large number of processed meat products sold in supermarkets and claiming to be beef actually contain horsemeat.

The situation made for a humourous Prime Minister's Questions when a Labour MP, referring to the rumours of an internal plot to challenge the Prime Minister's position (ridiculous in my view), asked the PM whether he thought there was any evidence of 'stalking-horse' meat in the Conservative food chain.

Not a bad gag and the House duly roared as one but the reality of what has happened is, of course, no laughing matter. The problems are of consumer misrepresentation and the fact that horsemeat can potentially contain chemicals injurious to human health.

All this has arisen due to one primary factor. The food chain is in many cases a long one. Meat produced in one country may be slaughtered in another and then sold on to a processor in another. Several parties are involved in the production of a 'ready meal' and many opportunities for the effective contamination of the product exist along the way.

The solution to these problems has got to lie in greater checking of meat within the food production chain with ultimate responsibility resting with those who sell these products.

But there is another and better way to ensure that when it comes to meat, you are getting value, quality and can be sure that it is the real thing.

In Devon we are blessed with the finest butchers in the world, selling local farm produce of truly outstanding quality. They serve us well and are worthy of our business.