Just weeks after beef-burgers on sale in supermarkets across the UK and Republic of Ireland were found to contain traces of other animals including horses and pigs, The UK Food Standards Agency has announced it is considering legal action after meat products labelled as Halal and supplied to prisons in England and Wales were found to contain pig DNA.

On Monday (4th February), FSA revealed that a number of meat pies and pasties supplied to prisons by food supplier 3663 and served as Halal were found to contain pig DNA in tests. Although authorities said they are investigating how the contamination came about and whether the products have been distributed further across the UK, FSA and food policy experts have raised serious questions.

Northern Ireland-based McColgan Quality Foods was found to have manufactured the foods in question and has been suspended from supplying the prison service pending an investigation.

FSA said in a statement "This is an unacceptable situation and people have a right to expect that the food they are eating is correctly described. It is the responsibility of food businesses to ensure the food they sell contains what it says on the label."

The Agency called an "urgent meeting of major retailers and suppliers", to ensure the meat supply chain's major players are fully aware of their responsibilities to deliver the products advertised on labels.

FSA added, "We are considering, with the local authority, whether legal action is appropriate following the investigation."

Commentators have suggested that the recent series of food scandals and scares are merely a symptom of a wider, systemic problem. Commenting on the recent 'horseburger' scandal, Professor Tim Lang of the Centre for Food Policy said that, although there is no health risk associated with the discovery, it raises serious issues about traceability. Professor Lang summed up concerns, stating "Horse meat in beefburgers suggests failings in corporate food governance." 

As with the discovery of pig DNA in pasties labelled as Halal, traces of pork in burgers not labelled as containing the meat raised serious concerns for people who do not consume pig meat for religious reasons.

Irish organic body the Organic Trust suggested the issue exposes "yet another failure in the race to the bottom with food quality and prices." A spokesperson for the organic organisation said in a statement "If we look at all of the recent food scandals - BSE, Dioxins in pork and now burgergate - we have to acknowledge the common thread. All of these problems arise from producers and processors caught in a system where price is king and anything that brings down the price of your produce can mean the difference between survival and bankruptcy."