News Summary: Romania defends its slaughterhouses
News Summary: Romania defends slaughterhouses in horsemeat scandal; Sweden, Netherlands probe
A general view of Findus Beef Lasagne in a freezer of a local shop in Jarrow, England, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. U.K. authorities say beef lasagna products recalled from British supermarkets by frozen-food company Findus have tested positive or more than 60 percent horsemeat. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
NO DECEPTION HERE: Officials say two Romanian plants believed to be the source of horsemeat mislabeled as beef in supermarkets across Europe declared it properly and any fraud was committed somewhere else down the line,
THE ACCUSER: France says that Romanian butchers and Dutch and Cypriot traders were part of a supply chain that resulted in horsemeat being labeled as beef before it was included in frozen dinners including lasagna, moussaka and the French equivalent of Shepherd's Pie. Sweden and the Netherlands have begun probes.
THE PROBLEM: Authorities aren't worried about health effects, but it has unsettled consumers and raised questions about producers misleading the public. A maze of trading between meat wholesalers has made it difficult to trace the origins of food.
