Undeclared horse meat found in Czech Republic

PRAGUE (AP) -- The Czech Republic became the latest country to detect horse meat in food products labeled as beef in a widening European food labeling scandal, officials said Wednesday.

The discovery was made by the state-run Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority. DNA tests detected horse meat in lasagna Bolognese made by frozen food processor Tavola S. A. Comigel and sold at a Tesco store in the western city of Plzen, the agency said Wednesday. Tesco was ordered to recall it, and tests continue.

In Romania, 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of horse meat mislabeled as beef was found in Bucharest, the agriculture ministry said Wednesday. Ministry spokesman Achim Irimescu told national news agency Agerpres that the meat which was detected Tuesday had been correctly labeled at source. There were no further details about where the meat was being sold.

Romania was at the origin of the horse meat scandal, with tons of horse meat from Romanian abattoirs exported to France, where it was processed into ready-made meals. Romanian authorities said that the meat had been correctly labeled as horse and the fraud had occurred further down the food supply chain.

Horse meat has turned up across Europe in frozen supermarket meals such as burgers and lasagna, in beef pasta sauce, on restaurant menus, in school lunches and in hospital meals.