[liamsienna (OP)]

Can we really eat horsemeat, I mean is horsemeat edible? But whether it is or it isn’t is not the issue. The issue is, it is another scam that no one else is being at a disadvantage but us ordinary citizens. The joke is on us. Paying money on what we thought is fair to us but getting something else instead. I cant really believe that people go beyond this far for money.

I cant believe this article
-The snap talks, starting at 1700 GMT, came a day after British police searching for the source of horsemeat found in kebabs and burgers raided two meat plants, and France became the second European Union nation after Britain to report horsemeat posing as beef in frozen food.

Earlier Wednesday, Germany announced a find of suspect lasagne in its most populous state, and just as the talks were to kick off Swiss supermarket giant Coop reported horsemeat in its lasagne.

Mod: Off-topic link removed

[CliffordK]

Horse Meat is certainly edible. 

In Italy, there are many stores that sell "carne equina" for human consumption.

I think the biggest thing is a social stigma.  Horses can be almost like big pets. 

Counterfeit meats are a big issue in the fishing industry.  I'm not surprised they would hit the beef industry too.  Undoubtedly horse meat is cheaper than beef.

Perhaps the only issue is that it may not have the same certifications for human consumption as the beef.  For example, there may not be as rigorous regulations about antibiotic and medication use as would otherwise be expected for beef being butchered.

[evan_au]

When I was living in Belgium around the year 2000, the meat section of the supermarket always had meat proudly marked as USA horsemeat.

[RD]

Q.  Is Horse Meat OK?

A.  Not if you're Jewish ...

... Pig, camel, horse and rabbit are non-kosher animals and no part may be eaten in any form

http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/single-articles/whats_kosher.htm

[CliffordK]

According to the Egyptians I've talked to, Camel meat is also quite good, even from old camels.

[Minerva]

Can we really eat horsemeat, I mean is horsemeat edible? But whether it is or it isn’t is not the issue. The issue is, it is another scam that no one else is being at a disadvantage but us ordinary citizens. The joke is on us. Paying money on what we thought is fair to us but getting something else instead. I cant really believe that people go beyond this far for money.


Mod: Off-topic link removed

Horsemeat is definitely edible but because we tend to think of them as pets we are a bit squeamish about it. 

But if you cant believe people will go that far for money, have a read of this:

Not on the Label: What Really Goes into the Food on Your Plate
by Felicity Lawrence

and prepare to be dumbfounded.........

[Lmnre]

My generation Americans should remember hearing about FDA allowances for rat hairs in tuna fish, tomato worms in ketchup, and more. Yuck!

I don't care, and when it comes to hot dogs vs burgers, I'll have a hot dog 99% of the time. 

[cheryl j]

A neighbor said during the war they ate a lot of it. I'm sure its as safe as beef, but if they didn't know it was in the product, or someone was mislabeling it intentionally, was it even inspected at all?

[Minerva]

Horsemeat is safe provided it comes from horses that are bred for eating.  There is a problem with a veterinary drug which is not used on horses bred for human consumption because it causes sterilisation and in some cases death in humans. 

So the issues really for me are where did the horsemeat come from and what else are the supermarkets covering up.  I haven't eaten a processed meal for about 8 years so I'm not worried.  I think if more people paid attention to the ingredients listed on processed meals they wouldn't buy so many.

[CliffordK]

I will say, that while you can purchase "carne equina" in Italy, the stores that sell it are kept completely separate from other butchers. 

Perhaps part of the reason is for "kosher" foods.  However, I believe beef (not eaten by Indians) and pork (not eaten by Jewish) are sold in the same locations.

However, separating the two would help prevent people from tossing horse meat into the hamburger, or confusing a horse steak with a beef steak.

[azenethcande]

Horse meat (or horsemeat) is the culinary name for meat cut from a horse. It is a major meat in only a few countries, notably in Central Asia, but it forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many others, from Europe to South America to Asia. The top eight countries consume about 4.7 million horses a year. For the majority of mankind's early existence, wild horses were hunted as a source of protein. It is slightly sweet, tender and low in fat.  However, because of the role horses have played as companions and as workers, and concerns about the ethics of the horse slaughter process, it is a taboo food in some cultures. These historical associations, as well as ritual and religion, led to the development of the aversion to the consumption of horse meat. The horse is now given pet status by many in some parts of the Western world, particularly in the U.S.A., United Kingdom and Ireland, which further solidifies the taboo on eating its meat.

[Ophiolite]

The main disadvatange of eating horse meat over an extended period is that you are likely to start talking French.

[Don_1]

There is nothing wrong with eating horse provided the animal has been bred for the purpose in the same way that cattle, sheep, pigs etc are farmed for the purpose. In fact, horse meat is more expensive than beef, when reared for human consumption, but its a whole lot cheaper if not reared for human consumption and the animal was on its way to the knackers yard, destined for a pot of glue. No points for guessing which has ended up in the human food chain.

You can eat dog, cat, whale, dolphin, turtle, peacock, parrot, monkey, ape, scorpion, locust, grubs of this sort and that etc etc etc, as is normal in some countries. Its a matter of taste, religion and what is deemed 'normal' in your civilisation. I think (and hope) the vast majority of us in the UK would be sickened by the very thought of eating such animals. Strange then, that some of us seem to get some sort of warpped entertainment out of watching some 'celebrity' eating such things on that pain in the bum programme "I'm a has been celebrity, get me out of here".

Though we really should not critisise other cultures for what they eat, we really do have to try to educate them on the morals of eating endangered species taken from the wild.

But the point with the horsemeat affair is that we have been dupped, cheated. I do not wish to eat horse any more than I wish to eat turtle or dog. This is criminal activity and those responsible must be found and brought to book.

However, it is not just the meat industry who is to blame. For many years now, ordinary people have seen their income diminishing in real value. While bosses continue to see their income rise well beyond the rate of inflation, ordinary workers have seen real terms reduction and government seems not to care. When ordinary people need to feed the family as cheaply as possible in order to pay the rent/mortgage, energy bills etc. this leaves the door open to the unscrupulous.

I do not think it is right to put the blame on the supermarkets, or the producers, as such. They are doing their best to supply what their customers want. Until now, would you think to check if the minced beef supplied to you contained anything other than beef? I think the root cause of the this and many other economic problems we face today has been governments' failure to keep a check on the banks, income differentials and the tight reign on inflation in all but essential services, and property.

[edizfahri]

But the horsemeat found was only a certain few percent but anyways still deceitful.  The issue isn’t really if it is edible, you are most right, but we have the right to know exactly what we are eating and exactly what they say we are eating.  That is against the law.

[franklinw94]

Yeah!
Not you are a jewish.......