Swiss-based Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, has removed beef pasta meals from sale in Italy and Spain after finding traces of horse DNA in the products.
Nestlé withdrew two of its Buitoni pasta products, Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Buitoni Beef Tortellini, Reuters reports. Lasagnes à la Bolognaise Gourmandes, a frozen product for catering businesses produced in France, will also be withdrawn. Nestle announced that it was suspending deliveries of all products made using beef from a German subcontractor. Just last week Nestlé told the press that its products were not affected, but the most recent test results revealed more than 1 percent horse DNA in the two withdrawn products.
Nestlé is the latest food company to be affected by the food-production scandal that has spread across Europe. In the last month, a number of food companies have discovered horse meat in products labeled as beef. These products have been withdrawn, amid consumer anxiety and anger, Reuters said. Government agencies across Europe have begun investigating the continent’s complex food-processing chains.
In a statement on Monday, Nestlé said, “There is no food safety issue.” The company said it had informed the appropriate authorities.
