Many Europeans, particularly the French, eat horse meat. However, the practice has long been taboo in certain places, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Bible scriptures prohibit eating the animal, as does Jewish law, while the animal is primarily affiliated with companionship.
Needless to say, the fast food industry was shaken when horse meat was discovered in Burger King's patties in Britain and Ireland. In 2013, Burger King confirmed that it found horse meat in some of its burgers. The contamination happened as part of a broader scandal involving pork and horse meat in all-beef burgers in the United Kingdom , which affected products sold in grocery stores and supermarkets, including Aldi frozen beef lasagna and spaghetti bolognese .
The supplier at fault, Silvercrest, had previously assured the fast food restaurant that its burgers weren't affected. While Burger King's independent DNA testing was initially negative for horse, some samples tested positive after a few weeks. The restaurant chain subsequently terminated its relationship with the supplier.
Concealing horse meat in products like ground meat and sausage is easy because it looks like beef. What's more interesting, though, is that horse meat is only partially banned in the United States . Laws are in place to prevent killing and transporting horses for food, yet you're not technically banned from consuming it.
More fast food controversies Horse meat in its burgers isn't the only fast food scandal .