Iceland to DNA test meat but stands by supplier following horse meat scandal

The frozen food specialist was found to have stocked two batches of beef burgers containing traces of horse and pig DNA.

Tesco, which sold burgers containing a higher horse DNA content, said today it will conduct DNA testing in future and has delisted its supplier Silvercrest.

Iceland said it had “found nothing to suggest that our supplier deliberately used non-approved ingredients in any Iceland products”.

The retailer said it believes the Iceland products contained trace elements of horse and pig DNA as the result of cross-contamination from other products made in the same factory.

An Iceland spokesman said: “All Iceland burgers will in future be checked for the DNA of all other species and will only be cleared for sale when we have received a negative test result.

“These routine tests by our supplier will continue to be regularly doublechecked by our own team of technologists, as is our standard practice.”

He added: “We apologise to our customers for the contamination that has occurred in the past, and assure them that we are continuing to work with all our suppliers to meet the high standards of quality and integrity that we specify and which our customers are entitled to expect.”