Tesco's beef burgers contained horsemeat it could not trace

In January 2013 the Food Safety Authority of Ireland announced that beef burgers sold by several UK and Irish supermarkets, including Tesco, contained horse DNA. Tests showed Tesco's Everyday Value beef burger was 29% horsemeat. The discovery triggered a Europe-wide scandal that implicated frozen-food brands such as Findus, whose beef lasagne was found to contain up to 100% horsemeat.

Tesco immediately withdrew the affected products and ran full-page newspaper apologies. Chief executive Philip Clarke described the scandal as a 'pivotal moment for our industry' and promised a forensic examination of supply chains. The company's shares fell and analysts estimated the hit to its market value at roughly £300 million, while consumer trust in processed beef products dropped sharply across the sector.

Investigations traced the contamination through a complex chain of traders, processors and subcontractors across Ireland, France, Luxembourg and Romania. No health risk was established, but the scandal revealed that cost pressure and weak traceability had allowed mislabelled meat to enter mainstream retail.