No horsemeat in school dinners, says SIC

SHETLAND Islands Council has moved to reassure the public that no meals provided in local school canteens and care homes are affected by the escalating horsemeat scandal.

The council said its kitchens were supplied with meat and not processed foods, and were as such not affected by the crisis.

Environmental Health officers have meanwhile carried out inspections at the local slaughterhouse as requested by the Food Standards Agency.

Inspectors are also in the process of establishing where local restaurants and caterers sourced their products from with the aim to monitor suppliers.

A council spokeswoman said: “Horsemeat has been found only in processed foods to date. The schools and care homes are supplied by JW Grays. They are supplied with meat not processed foods.

“At this stage we have established from Grays where they source their meat from. We have not had any indications from the Food Standards Agency that these suppliers are implicated in any way.

“At this stage it should be clarified that this is an issue about labelling of meat not a risk to public health.”

Meanwhile NHS Shetland said they were satisfied that Halal meals and burgers they source from food supplier Brakes Group were unaffected and that the company was doing all it could to keep the health board updated.