Horse meat contamination in Tesco burgers causes shelves to clear

ISTANBUL

AFP PHOTO / ANDREW YATES

British multinational retailer Tesco has cleared its shelves of burgers today, after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) launched an investigation into "horse meat" contamination, the Daily Mail has reported.

Tesco made the decision after its supplier, Silvercrest, announced it was pulling products from sale and replacing them. Scientific tests had shown that on some beef products on sale in Tesco, low levels of horse DNA were found; however, as much as 29 percent of one "beef" burger was found to be horse meat.

Confirming the burgers had been on sale in the U.K., the store issued an apology last night announcing the withdrawal of the suspected burgers.

The statement also noted that thousands had already been eaten.

It is not prohibited to buy or sell horse meat in the U.K., but it is illegal not to declare every ingredient on food labels.