In 2012, a scandal broke out after horse DNA was found in frozen beef burgers sold in supermarkets in Ireland. What are the factors and impact of this scandal on consumer's food selection patterns and health consequences?

What will be an ideal response?

The main reason for this scandal was the detection of horse meat in meat which was labeled as beef. Other than that, there are many other factors which the general public, particularly those outside Europe may not realize that it is customary to eat horse meat in many countries. The meat is lean and high in iron and other nutrients. It is also much less expensive than beef. In Italy, there is a traditional stew which is prepared from horse meat. In Europe alone, 60,000 tons of horse meat was sold in 2012. Also it was the number of foods in which horse meat was detected such as in frozen lasagna sold in Great Britain and frozen beef burgers in Ireland.
In Europe, horse meat is available from a variety of suppliers. The supply chain includes a network of slaughterhouses, brokers, and traders. Italy, for example, imports 50 million pounds of horse meat from Ireland, Poland, and a dozen other European countries. Although it is illegal to produce horse meat in the United States since 2006, horses are shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. It can then be shipped to export markets such as Europe.
With the scandal gaining traction, several global food companies, restaurant chains, and retailers scrambled to respond. Taco Bell was forced to withdraw its beef products from its stores in the United Kingdom. Swedish furniture retailer IKEA pulled meatballs from its cafeterias and grocery sections in several countries after inspectors found some samples that contained horse meat. Nestlé pulled some beef pasta products from stores in Italy and Spain.