Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Aldi and Booker have all given updates on their testing for horsemeat.
In a message to customers, Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King said that following a programme of around 250 tests, no horsemeat had been found in any of its products.
“We have one of the most extensive quality control programmes in the industry and we apply the same checks right across our products - from basics to Taste the Difference. We have used DNA testing for over a decade, as well as checks on country of origin, audits of suppliers and accredited, independent product analysis,” he added.
“Our tests are still ongoing and we expect to have further results at the end of this week,” Marks said.
Aldi said its completed tests had all proved negative.
“It has always been our philosophy to offer customers the highest quality products at great value prices,” said Aldi UK buying MD Tony Baines.
“We have worked hard for more than two decades to achieve this and are extremely disappointed that recent events have let you down. Aldi’s rigorous testing and quality control procedures are already among the best and most exacting in the retail industry. However, this issue means we must raise our standards of compliance for our suppliers even higher to ensure that our stringent specifications are met.”
Meanwhile, Booker also reiterated that all of its products had been given the all-clear.
“No horse DNA has ever been found in any Booker burger - in neither our tests nor Paragon tests,” a spokeswoman said.
“In light of the Whitbread positive test Paragon (our shared supplier) advised, solely as a precautionary measure to remove from sale a small amount of burgers. At no time was there any evidence to suggest that Booker burgers were affected. Going forward, all of our deliveries are now from tested and released stocks.”
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