Expert: horse meat scandal is only a start

Horses and cattle meat "scandal broke out a month ago in the UK grow bigger and spread to 16 countries of the European Union, and a variety of beef products, food has always been strictly regulated EU greatly humiliated. Horse meat scandal is only the beginning, the next crisis may pull more outside the EU suppliers.

Month since the European part of the beef food doping the horsemeat incident has ignited controversy spread to 16 countries of the European Union, the food supervision departments of France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and other countries has commenced an investigation. Yesterday, the agriculture ministers of the EU member states held an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss how to deal with horsemeat storm. After the parties reached a consensus that if the horse meat, hamburger or other food product identification should be marked.

So the final nail is still very sloppy, along with a dazzling horse meat scandal behind intricate supply chain, since the multinational regulatory agencies have not been able to sort out a clue.

Although there is no information to the horsemeat charge the beef threats diners health, but this constitutes fraud is undisputed fact. Quality inspection departments in the UK can only be filled prior to dereliction of duty on the part of the lesson. On the evening of the 12th, the police raided two suspected horse meat to beef-processing slaughterhouse, Prior to this, the the British Food Quality Agency (FSA) for this closed a slaughterhouse in West Yorkshire; Wales a meat processing plants. These suppliers are beef burgers and skewers of raw materials for the United Kingdom.

The most recent data show that, in fact, over the past three years of sampling, the British beef meat shown to contain some kind of horse will only be used anti-inflammatory drug. In 2010, 60 samples, five the monitoring out such anti-inflammatory drugs; 2011 79 samples contain only a trace of anti-inflammatory drugs; However, last year, 158 samples, there are nine samples containing such anti-inflammatory agent.

Take this storm, Sweden's leading food suppliers Findus fire. They proved to be 100% in the French market for many years, "beef lasagna horsemeat system, the Frenchman said it could not accept.

When the French food suppliers acknowledged to may their beef products last year was horsemeat "pollution", the British may have to eat horse meat for many years. "Beasts of burden meat incident has challenged the British psychological limits, eating conservative British side firmly believe that pets eat horse meat and eat cats and dogs like nothing different; side was curious to inquire worth a pound of horse meat in the end.

There are several topics recently become a hot spot in both France and the United Kingdom:

Which horse meat and beef delicious?

United Kingdom (France) children should not eat horse meat, because we do not do this.

Cheap meat in the end worth?

The economic recession, how can we both savings and eat healthy?

In aspects of frozen fish Roubang "is very famous Findus with horse meat to make lasagna, which makes eating has been critical of Frenchman out of anger, they create many Findus version of the ad on Youtube, one is a" next step our fish Roubang is dolphin meat do.

For horses and cattle meat scandal intensified, professor of supply chain management at Cass Business School in London ManMohan Sodhi exclusive Sina Finance, said: horse meat is only a beginning, "beef frozen food crisis from the United Kingdom to the whole of Europe next will continue to spread. "

He believes that now is most likely to occur if the scope of the investigation is extended from beef to other meats, such as chicken, fish, there may be more scandals. That time, suppliers may not only limited in the scope of the EU, which may involve Argentina, chicken, or Canadian fish, and even Asian suppliers were swept also unknown.

Why hang Ngau Tau sell horsemeat?

Supermarket in the UK, the price of fresh beef at least 8 pounds (about 80 yuan) per kilogram, the price of the cheapest Tesco beef for £ 3.34 / kg, which should also beef burgers or spaghetti the Major raw meat. If you made the two beef products, also need the pasta with the cheese, butter, and Hamburg with bread and meat surface. Additionally, the cost of labor and logistics have not calculated the period.

However, the actual frozen food price how much? Before the meat of cattle and horses shelves Hamburg box 99P (less than 10 yuan), containing 12 beef burgers; Findus Beef Lasagne £ 1.29 a box (equivalent to 3 pounds / kilograms). Contrast, the price interval unlimited widening of the British food market, a box of fresh finished spaghetti in the high-end supermarket usually sells for 6 pounds.

"In the low-price competition from supermarkets, cheap supermarket discounters, as well as in the high-end supermarket are all facing price pressure consumers to their pressure is passed to the vendor in this price range, the supplier increasingly slim profit margins, to making profits or at least to maintain price competitiveness is bound to come up with heterodoxy in the transfer process of the price pressure, do not have the financial resources to put into quality control aspects. "Cass Business School Supply Chain Management Professor ManMohan Sodhi said on Reuters.

"I have visited in China, a microwave oven manufacturers, they microwave price of £ 50 a each sell a microwave oven, they gross profit of 10 pounds in this price range, they want to know is impossible also funds investment in quality control. Buyer knows it. "ManMohan Sodhi said.

"Recession make the situation worse, because the consumer price sensitivity increase, but anyway, consumers should ask yourself, do you think you should eat: a hamburger price 10P (less than RMB 1 million) What's the beef? "ManMohan Sodhi asked.

Parties to pass the buck of horses and cattle meat scandal

Situation evolution this point, consumers angry brand food manufacturers anger, anger retailers and government regulators, suppliers, vendors, said "I am innocent". Wrangling with each other between the multi evolution in this month more and more dramatic.

In the limelight waves, Swedish food company Findus French meat supplier Spanghero prepared in respect of the product logo beef was horse meat scandal for judicial complaints. Sweden the Findus frankly, "Last year, does not know any beef pollution problems doped horse meat", after also known as the "pollution" problem may be traced back to last August; Findus general manager in France, (Matthieu Lambeaux), Blue Wave then released a statement saying: "We were deceived," adding that the meat supplier to sue Romania.

In short, the two companies are trying to find someone to bear the sins and performance than snow pure.

"In the field of economics, there is a concept called either reasonable passing the buck '(Plausible deniability), intuitive understanding" after the possibility of shirking its responsibility for this concept, ManMohan Sodhi explained: "retail commercial suppliers can have two approaches: either regulatory quality; unconditional trust them either. Too much pressure in the competition, many retailers choose the latter, because this is the cheapest way. '

In this scandal, we are talking about the entrance of food, cheap frozen food, the shelf life of food is usually at least for several months, which dragged out Zaichou Mao Yin has been involved and create a smart phone Suppliers similar complexity.

The supply chain can be infinitely stretched. This is the root cause of the scandal, the assumption is fresh meat, due to the shelf life of only a few days, you want to 'hang Ngau Tau sell horse meat' is not easy. "ManMohan Sodhi said.

Delay not to be found in the "culprit" under the parties are innocent of the status quo, the United Kingdom has academia can only begin to reflect on processed foods. Or the British should not henceforth count on frozen foods, and other processed foods, but should be back to nature, anything made themselves. The problem is, no one can spend £ 1 to make 12 beef burgers, no "horse meat", after some low-income groups, it is difficult to afford fresh beef. This is reality.